An interventional study of Beetroot juice in Malignant Breast Tissue Neoplasm, sponsored by University of Aberdeen. Completed at 1 site in United Kingdom. Open to female participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-31.
Sponsored by University of Aberdeen · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science
Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer affecting women, with 1 in 8 women in the UK developing breast cancer in their life time. Chemotherapy drugs, currently used for locally advanced breast cancers, are associated with side effects while dietary supplements have complex effects with a relatively small effect size.
Breast tumours have different metabolism compared to healthy tissue, including elevated lactate production by aerobic glycolysis (AG), an underpinning feature of metabolism in breast cancer cells. Dietary nitrate, contained in leafy green vegetables and beetroot, has been shown to improve energy efficiency in exercising skeletal muscle, positioning itself as a disruptor of AG.
The purpose of this study is to examine if dietary nitrate can disrupt AG and as a result to halt or even reverse tumour progression and survival. This study will look at scans of breast tumours using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Changes to tumour related biochemical substances will be measured by advanced magnetic resonance spectroscopy and changes to tissue structure will be measured by advanced diffusion MRI techniques.
In this study, 16 patients undergoing surgery will be recruited for two MRI scans following a 5 day intervention programme.
In this longitudinal study, the investigators propose to examine the changes in lipid composition and microstructure in breast tumours at baseline and post dietary nitrate intervention through the applications of novel non-invasive magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) methods and diffusion and lipid profiling MR imaging methods in patients. The investigators hypothesise that dietary nitrate disrupts tumour progression in breast cancer.
To assess the effect of dietary nitrate on tumour progression, paired t-tests will be performed on lipid composition measured from tumour between baseline and post intervention. To assess the effect of dietary nitrate on tumour progression, paired t-tests will be performed on lipid composition in the whole breast tissue surrounding tumour between baseline and post intervention. To assess the effect of dietary nitrate on tissue microstructure paired t-tests will be performed on water displacement measured from tumour between baseline and post intervention.
12,544 studies on the registry are indexed under Breast Neoplasms; 2,892 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 1 is below the median of 72 across 9,303 interventional studies indexed under Breast Neoplasms.
Browse Breast Neoplasms studies →University of Aberdeen is the lead sponsor of 170 studies on the registry; 23 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
16 patients confirmed with a diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma who will undergo wide local excision surgery or mastectomy. All patients in the single arm will undergo a 5 day intervention drinking concentrated beetroot juice and 2 magnetic resonance imaging scan sessions pre and post intervention. MRI scan sessions will be composed of research scans including diffusion and lipid profiling MR imaging methods and MR spectroscopy (MRS) methods.
Dietary Supplement: Beetroot juice
The patient will follow a 5 day dietary nitrate intervention programme, taking 3 doses of 7cl (0.4 g nitrate per dose) concentrated beetroot juice (SPORT shot, James White Drinks, Suffolk, U.K.) a day.
Baseline: Lipid composition in tumour
Lipid peak volume with units of ratio
Time frame: Scan one day before intervention (Day 0)
Post intervention: Lipid composition in tumour
Lipid peak volume ratio with units of ratio
Time frame: Scan one day after completion of intervention (Day 6)
Baseline: Lipid composition in whole breast tissue surrounding tumour
fat fraction with units of %
Time frame: Scan one day before intervention (Day 0)
Post intervention: Lipid composition in whole breast tissue surrounding tumour
fat fraction with units of %
Time frame: Scan one day after completion of intervention (Day 6)
Baseline: Water displacement in tumour
Water displacement with units of micrometer
Time frame: Scan one day before intervention (Day 0)
Post intervention: Water displacement in tumour
Water displacement with units of micrometer
Time frame: Scan one day after completion of intervention (Day 6)
Plan to share: No
This study is completed, as verified in Aug 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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University of Aberdeen