An interventional study of High-Protein Low-Carbohydrate Diet and High-Fat Low-Carbohydrate Diet in Diabete Mellitus, Obesity & Overweight and Hypertriglyceridaemia, sponsored by National Nutrition and Food Technology Institute. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 30 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-08.
Sponsored by National Nutrition and Food Technology Institute · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Type 2 diabetes is often accompanied by high blood triglycerides and excess weight, and diet plays a central role in managing these conditions together. The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of two moderate low-carbohydrate diets - one higher in protein and one higher in fat - against a standard diet, on blood sugar control, blood lipids (especially triglycerides), body weight, and blood pressure in adults with type 2 diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia, and overweight or obesity.
This is a three-arm, open-label, randomized controlled trial conducted at a diabetes clinic in Tehran, Iran. Eligible patients - adults with type 2 diabetes, moderate hypertriglyceridemia, and overweight or obesity (BMI 25-35 kg/m²) - will be enrolled through consecutive sampling and randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to one of three 12-week dietary interventions: a moderate low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet; a moderate low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet; or a standard diet consistent with usual clinical recommendations. No placebo is used, given the nature of the intervention.
The primary objective is to determine and compare changes in glycemic indices - HbA1c and fasting blood glucose - before and after the 12-week intervention, both within each of the three groups and between groups. Secondary objectives include comparing changes in lipid profile (triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL-C, and HDL-C, with triglyceride reduction considered a key outcome of interest), anthropometric indices (body weight, BMI, and waist circumference), and systolic and diastolic blood pressure across the three groups. The study will also evaluate the level of dietary adherence in each group - measured through monthly self-reported adherence questionnaires and 24-hour dietary recalls - and examine how adherence relates to the observed changes in glycemic, lipid, and anthropometric measures. The incidence of diet-related side effects or adverse events will be compared across groups during the 12-week intervention and during a subsequent 30-day follow-up period.
Doses of participants' existing medications for diabetes, blood lipids, and blood pressure will be kept constant throughout the study wherever clinically safe to do so, in order to isolate and attribute observed changes to the dietary intervention itself rather than to changes in medication. Participants will be contacted monthly by phone for adherence support and safety monitoring, and will have blood samples (fasting glucose, HbA1c, and full lipid profile), body weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure measured at baseline and again at the end of the 12-week intervention, followed by one additional phone contact one month after the intervention ends to assess general well-being and any delayed adverse events (without repeat laboratory or anthropometric measurement at that final contact).
Applied objectives of the study include generating local, high-quality randomized-trial evidence to support individualized dietary choices (protein-focused versus fat-focused low-carbohydrate approaches) for Iranian patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertriglyceridemia, with attention to macronutrient quality (complex/fiber-rich carbohydrates, predominantly plant-based protein, unsaturated fats) consistent with the Iranian dietary pattern; assessing real-world dietary adherence and identifying barriers and facilitators relevant to clinical practice; and providing preliminary evidence that could inform future, longer-duration studies (6-12 months) examining potential reductions in medication requirements and the durability of metabolic improvements. Given the short 12-week intervention period, the trial is not designed to draw conclusions about long-term sustainability of effects.
10,371 studies on the registry are indexed under Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; 1,406 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 168 is above the median of 80 across 8,350 interventional studies indexed under Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2.
Browse Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 studies →National Nutrition and Food Technology Institute is the lead sponsor of 63 studies on the registry; 7 are open to participants now.
Compared within Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, this study's primary condition as ClinicalTrials.gg classifies it; the registry's first condition term is Diabetes Mellitus. The counts are of registry records indexed under each term, refreshed daily. How we classify →
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.
Exclusion Criteria:
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.
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
A blood test of average blood sugar over the past two to three months, given as a percentage or in mmol/mol. 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) or more is the usual threshold for diabetes, normally confirmed by a second test.
GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².
Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.
BMI (body mass index)
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
HbA1c
A blood test of average blood sugar over the past two to three months, given as a percentage or in mmol/mol. 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) or more is the usual threshold for diabetes, normally confirmed by a second test.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
GFR and eGFR (kidney filtering)
GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².
Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Other: High-Fat Low-Carbohydrate Diet · Other: Standard diet
Other: High-Protein Low-Carbohydrate Diet · Other: Standard diet
Other: High-Protein Low-Carbohydrate Diet · Other: High-Fat Low-Carbohydrate Diet
A calorie-restricted (500 kcal/day below baseline needs) diet providing 40% of energy from complex carbohydrates, 30% from fat (20% unsaturated with a 4:1 MUFA/PUFA ratio, 10% saturated), and 30% from protein (15% plant-based), delivered over 12 weeks as 5 individualized daily meals.
A calorie-restricted (500 kcal/day below baseline needs) diet providing 40% of energy from complex carbohydrates, 45% from fat (35% unsaturated with a 4:1 MUFA/PUFA ratio, 10% saturated), and 15% from protein, delivered over 12 weeks as 5 individualized daily meals.
A calorie-restricted (500 kcal/day below baseline needs) standard diet providing 55% of energy from complex carbohydrates, 30% from fat (20% unsaturated with a 4:1 MUFA/PUFA ratio, 10% saturated), and 15% from protein, delivered over 12 weeks as 5 individualized daily meals.
Change in fasting serum triglyceride (TG) level
Time frame: Baseline to Week 12
Change in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c)
Time frame: Baseline to Week 12
Change in fasting blood glucose (FBS)
Time frame: Baseline to Week 12
Change in total cholesterol
Time frame: Baseline to Week 12
Change in LDL-C
Time frame: Baseline to Week 12
Change in systolic blood pressure
Time frame: Baseline to Week 12
Change in diastolic blood pressure
Time frame: Baseline to Week 12
Change in body weight
Time frame: Baseline to Week 12
Change in BMI
Time frame: Baseline to Week 12
Change in waist circumference
Time frame: Baseline to Week 12
Level of dietary adherence
Assessed monthly throughout the 12-week intervention
Time frame: Baseline to Week 12
Incidence of diet-related adverse events
Time frame: From baseline through the 12-week intervention and a subsequent 30-day follow-up period
No study locations are listed for this record.
Plan to share: Undecided
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Start is estimated for Sep 2026; primary completion for Sep 2026, 0 months later.
Of 2,066 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, half reached primary completion within 21 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 40. This study's planned 0 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 2,243 studies reached it within 21 months; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 39.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Sep 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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National Nutrition and Food Technology Institute