ClinicalTrials.gg
Not yet recruitingNCT06901986Updated Mar 30, 2025

Health Benefits of Tart Cherry in Crohn's Disease

An interventional study of Montmorency tart cherry and Placebo in Crohn Disease (CD), sponsored by University of Central Lancashire. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-03-30.

Sponsored by University of Central Lancashire · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
52
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 65 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Crohn's disease (CD) is a long-term inflammatory condition of the digestive tract. People with CD often experience unpredictable and debilitating symptoms, including abdominal pain, diarrhea, and fatigue. Additionally, they require long-term treatment, which is often associated with frequent negative effects, the need for surgery, and hospitalizations. As a result, individuals with CD report a lower health-related quality of life (HRQOL) compared to healthy individuals.

The most common medication for inflammatory bowel disease is a strong immunosuppressant, which was identified in 2017 as the most expensive medication prescribed in NHS hospitals. Unfortunately, biologics have significant side effects, and reducing the reliance on them could benefit both the NHS by lowering costs and patients by minimizing unwanted side effects.

Supplementation with Montmorency tart cherry juice may offer a simple, safe, and cost-effective intervention for improving symptoms in individuals with CD. This is due to its potential to naturally reduce inflammation in the digestive system, thereby alleviating symptoms. Research in animal models has shown potential improvements in physiological responses with similar supplements, including blueberries, black raspberries, and Montmorency tart cherries, though only one study in human participants has explored bilberry supplementation.

Despite Montmorency tart cherries having superior anthocyanin concentrations compared to other berries, dietary interventions using tart cherry supplementation for CD have not been explored in human participants. The primary aim of the proposed investigation is to conduct a placebo-controlled randomized trial to examine whether Montmorency tart cherry juice supplementation can provide symptom relief and improve health-related well-being in individuals with mild to moderately active CD, as well as to understand the biological mechanisms underlying any observed symptom changes.

02

Conditions studied

  • Crohn Disease (CD)

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03

In context

Crohn Disease

1,992 studies on the registry are indexed under Crohn Disease; 478 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 52 is below the median of 67 across 1,260 interventional studies indexed under Crohn Disease.

Browse Crohn Disease studies →

Lead sponsor

University of Central Lancashire is the lead sponsor of 31 studies on the registry; 10 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 65 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • An established diagnosis of CDfor at least 6 months
  • Current mild to moderate disease activity
  • Age between 18 and 65 years
  • Stable use of medication for at least 3 months respectively.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Diabetes
  • and C infection
  • Abscesses
  • Unstable medical conditions that would likely prevent the subject from completing the study
  • Food allergies to cherries.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.

Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.

Hepatitis B tests

Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. These are separate tests: HBsAg positive usually means a current infection (a recent vaccination can briefly cause it too); total anti-HBc (HBcAb) positive means an infection now or in the past; HBV DNA measures how much virus is in the blood.

Some studies accept a past infection if HBV DNA is undetectable, sometimes with antiviral medicine during the study. Check what this study allows.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Participant, Investigator)
Enrollment
52 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Montmorency tart cherry juice

    Dietary Supplement: Montmorency tart cherry Description: US grown Montmorency tart cherry 60ml per day for 6 weeks.

    Dietary Supplement: Montmorency tart cherry

  • Placebo comparator
    Placebo

    Taste matched placebo.

    Dietary Supplement: Placebo

Interventions

  • Dietary supplementMontmorency tart cherry

    Montmorency tart cherry 60ml per day for 6 weeks.

  • Dietary supplementPlacebo

    Taste matched placebo.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Inflammatory Bowel Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire

    The scale has 32 items scored on a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (worst health) to 7 (best health).

    Time frame: This parameter will be examined at baseline.

  2. Inflammatory Bowel Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire

    The scale has 32 items scored on a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (worst health) to 7 (best health).

    Time frame: This parameter will be examined at 6 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Simple clinical colitis activity index

    The calculated score ranges from 0 to 19, where active disease is a score of 5 or higher.

    Time frame: This parameter will be examined at baseline.

  2. Hospital anxiety and depression scale

    The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale measures anxiety and depression in patients. A higher score indicates greater anxiety and depression.

    Time frame: This parameter will be examined at 6 weeks

  3. European Quality of Life Scale

    The European Quality of Life Scale is an instrument for measuring quality of life across patient groups and cultures and is conceptually distinct from health status or other causal indicators of quality of life. A higher score indicates higher quality of life.

    Time frame: This parameter will be examined at baseline.

  4. European Quality of Life Scale

    The European Quality of Life Scale is an instrument for measuring quality of life across patient groups and cultures and is conceptually distinct from health status or other causal indicators of quality of life. A higher score indicates higher quality of life.

    Time frame: This parameter will be examined at 6 weeks

  5. International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form

    The International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form (IPAQ-SF) addresses the number of days and time spent on physical activity in moderate intensity, vigorous intensity and walking of at least 10-min duration the last 7 days, and also includes time spent sitting on weekdays the last 7 days. The IPAQ-SF sum score is expressed in physical activity Metabolic Equivalent of Task minutes per day or week.

    Time frame: This parameter will be examined at baseline.

  6. International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form

    The International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form (IPAQ-SF) addresses the number of days and time spent on physical activity in moderate intensity, vigorous intensity and walking of at least 10-min duration the last 7 days, and also includes time spent sitting on weekdays the last 7 days. The IPAQ-SF sum score is expressed in physical activity Metabolic Equivalent of Task minutes per day or week.

    Time frame: This parameter will be examined at 6 weeks

  7. IBD Fatigue Scale

    The IBD Fatigue Scale is comprised of two components. Part 1 the questionnaire will identify fatigue, its severity, frequency and duration and scores range from 0-20 with a higher score meaning greater fatigue. Part 2 assesses the perceived impact of fatigue on your daily activities and scores range from 0-120 with a higher score meaning greater perceived impact.

    Time frame: This parameter will be examined at baseline

  8. IBD Fatigue Scale

    The IBD Fatigue Scale is comprised of two components. Part 1 the questionnaire will identify fatigue, its severity, frequency and duration and scores range from 0-20 with a higher score meaning greater fatigue. Part 2 assesses the perceived impact of fatigue on your daily activities and scores range from 0-120 with a higher score meaning greater perceived impact.

    Time frame: This parameter will be examined at 6 weeks

  9. Faecal calprotectin

    Faecal calprotectin is a stool test that measures the protein calprotectin, released by neutrophils during inflammation, to assess gut inflammation.

    Time frame: This parameter will be examined at baseline

  10. Faecal calprotectin

    Faecal calprotectin is a stool test that measures the protein calprotectin, released by neutrophils during inflammation, to assess gut inflammation.

    Time frame: This parameter will be examined at 6 weeks

  11. Gut microbiome

    The gut microbiome in individuals with IBD differs significantly from that of healthy individuals, with a reduction in beneficial bacteria and an increase in potentially harmful bacteria.

    Time frame: This parameter will be examined at baseline

  12. Faecal calprotectin

    The gut microbiome in individuals with IBD differs significantly from that of healthy individuals, with a reduction in beneficial bacteria and an increase in potentially harmful bacteria.

    Time frame: This parameter will be examined at 6 weeks

07

Study locations

No study locations are listed for this record.

08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 30, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06901986
Lead sponsor
University of Central Lancashire
Collaborators
University of Hertfordshire
Responsible party
Jonathan Sinclair (Professor, University of Central Lancashire) — Principal investigator
First posted
Mar 30, 2025
Start date
Jan 1, 2026 (estimated)
Primary completion
Jun 1, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Jun 1, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Mar 30, 2025

Study contacts

Jonathan Sinclair, DSc, PhD
Contact
jksinclair@uclan.ac.uk
+447875651533

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Mar 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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