Type 2 DiabetesPhase 2END-T2DNCT07575438
Effects of Different Fish Oil Types on Type 2 Diabetes Risk Factors in High-Risk Adults
A Phase 2 study testing Fish Oil in people with Type 2 Diabetes and Prediabetes (Insulin Resistance, Impaired Glucose Tolerance), run by May Faraj, PDt, PhD at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
The purpose of this clinical trial is to find out whether one type of fish oil works better than another at improving metabolic health in people who are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 40 to 70 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Type 2 Diabetes, Prediabetes (Insulin Resistance, Impaired Glucose Tolerance), Prediabetes / Type 2 Diabetes
- What is being tested?
- Fish Oil
- Type of treatment
- Pill or oral medicine
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 84 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- 5 Oct 2026to 31 Dec 2029
- Phase
- Phase 2
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 40 to 70 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Males and post-menopausal females:
- With a body mass index (BMI >25-40 kg/m2)
- Having confirmed menopausal status (FSH ≥ 30 U/l)
- Non-smokers (tobacco) or have quitted for over a year
- Low-moderate alcohol consumption: <7 alcoholic servings/ week
- Plasma apoB ≥1.05 g/L
Who cannot join
- Elevated risk of cardiovascular disease (≥ 20% of calculated Framingham Risk Score)
- Prior history of cardiovascular events (e.g. stroke, transient ischemic attack, myocardial infarction, angina, heart failure, arrhythmias, flutter, atrial …)
- Systolic blood pressure > 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure > 90 mmHg
- Diabetes or HbA1c ≥ 6.5%
- Reactive hypoglycaemia
- Prior history of cancer within the last 3 years or if lymph nodes were removed
Show all 32Show fewer
- Thyroid disease - untreated or unstable Synthroid dose
- Severe renal dysfunction - eGFR < 30 mL/min/1.73 m²
- Hepatic dysfunction - AST/ALT > 3 times normal limit
- Anemia - Hb < 120 g/L in females and < 130 in males
- Bleeding disorders
- Blood coagulation problems (i.e. bleeding predisposition)
- Malabsorptive disease or surgeries (e.g. bariatric surgeries)
- Autoimmune and chronic inflammatory disease (i.e. celiac, inflammatory bowel, Graves, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus).
- Chronic diarrhea
- Cholecystectomy (e.g. removal of gall bladder)
- Sleep apnea
- Seizures
- Known history of difficulties accessing a vein
- Known history of vagal shock or loss of consciousness during blood withdrawal
- Concomitant medications (systemic corticosteroids; hypertension medication; anti-psychotic medications - psycho-active medication that promote weight gain; anticoagulant or anti-aggregates treatment (e.g. aspirin, NSAIDs, warfarin, coumadin..); systemic adrenergic agonists; weight-loss medication (e.g. GLP-1 agonists); lipid lowering medication (e.g. statins, anti-PCSK9); )
- Allergy to seafood/fish or corn oil
- Allergy to bovine gelatine or glycerine (softgel components)
- Allergy to Xylocaine (anesthesia used during fat tissue biopsy)
- Anticipated surgery or blood transfusion
- Known substance abuse
- Very high physical activity (> 5 hours of aerobic exercise per week)
- Already taking more than 1 gm of EPA and/or DHA supplementation per day
- Lack of compliance to the study requirements (i.e. not being fasting)
- Cancellation of the same scheduled testing visit more than once
- Lack of time to participate in the full length of the study (18-22 weeks)
- Other conditions deemed inappropriate by the study physician (e.g. difficulties in understanding/communicating in French or English)
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Canada1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM)
Montreal, Quebec, H2W 1R7
May Faraj, P.Dt., Ph.D., T2Dresearch@ircm.qc.ca
May Faraj, P.Dt., Ph.D.
About this study
Official title: Role of EPA and DHA as Tailored Therapy for People Living With Obesity and High-risk for Type 2 Diabetes (END-T2D): a Randomized Controlled Trial
The purpose of this clinical trial is to find out whether one type of fish oil works better than another at improving metabolic health in people who are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Some metabolic problems-such as difficulty controlling blood sugar, unhealthy particles that transport cholesterol in the blood, and poor fat tissue function-can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. This study aims to determine whether different types of fish oil can:
Read more
- Improve how well the body produces insulin and responds to it,
- Improve the quality of the particles that carry "bad" cholesterol in the blood, and 3) Improve the health and function of participants' fat tissue.
To answer these questions, researchers will compare the effects of two types of fish oil: EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). These will be compared with corn oil, which is used as a placebo and does not contain EPA or DHA.
When included in this study, participants will:
- Take softgel capsules containing EPA, DHA, or placebo (corn oil) every day for 12 weeks, B) Keep a daily log to record when they take their study softgels, and C) Visit the research unit six times, including one and a half days before and after the intervention, to complete specialized metabolic tests that are mostly only available in research settings.
Read the detailed description
Background and Rationale:
According to the International Diabetes Federation, about 590 million adults worldwide-or 1 in 9 adults-were living with diabetes in 2025, most of whom had type 2 diabetes (T2D). An additional 230 million adults (about 4 in 10) are unaware that they have diabetes and therefore remain undiagnosed. Diabetes substantially increases the risk of illness and death and has an impact comparable to aging approximately 15 years, making it a leading cause of disability and mortality worldwide.
Type 2 diabetes develops gradually as multiple risk factors accumulate over time, including unhealthy lifestyle habits and aging. These factors reduce the body's ability to produce insulin and/or respond effectively to insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. As a result, blood sugar levels progressively rise and may eventually lead to a diagnosis of T2D.
Importantly, type 2 diabetes is preventable.
In people with T2D, elevated blood levels of apolipoprotein B (apoB) increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (apoB is a measure of the number of particles that carry "bad" cholesterol known as low density lipoproteins (LDL)). Traditionally, high apoB levels were considered a consequence of T2D. However, research from the principal investigator's laboratory has shown that high apoB levels may also contribute to the development of T2D.
This appears to occur because LDL particles can promote inflammation and impair the normal function of fat tissue. Poorly functioning fat tissue is associated with multiple metabolic abnormalities that increase the risk of both T2D and cardiovascular disease. Large population based studies confirmed that elevated blood apoB levels can predict the development of T2D many years before diagnosis.
Recent findings from the research team also indicate that 12 week supplementation with marine derived omega 3 fatty acids, EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), can improve several risk factors for T2D, particularly in individuals with higher blood apoB levels. However, these data suggest that EPA and DHA may not provide identical benefits in reducing these risk factors.
Study Objective:
The overall aim of this study is to compare the effects of EPA versus DHA on major risk factors for T2D in adults with overweight or obesity and elevated blood apoB levels.
Study Design and Procedures:
After eligibility is confirmed, participants will visit the research institute (IRCM) for two baseline visits scheduled one week apart. During these visits, investigators will used specialized metabolic testing to:
- Assess how participants' bodies process glucose and produce insulin using blood samples, and
- Examine how participants' fat tissue responds to their own LDL using a small fat tissue biopsy.
Participants will then be randomly assigned to follow one of three interventions for 12 weeks: EPA, DHA or corn oil (placebo). At the end of the 12 week intervention, participants will return to the research institute to undergo the same assessments performed at baseline.
Data Analysis:
At the conclusion of the study, results from participants in each intervention group (EPA, DHA, and placebo) will be averaged and compared. This will allow researchers to determine the effects of EPA and DHA on key risk factors for T2D and to evaluate whether one omega 3 fatty acid is more effective than the other.
- Conditions
- Type 2 Diabetes, Prediabetes (Insulin Resistance, Impaired Glucose Tolerance), Prediabetes / Type 2 Diabetes, Obesity & Overweight, Obesity and Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
- Being tested
- Fish Oil, Corn oil control
- Keywords
- Omega-3 fatty acids, EPA, DHA, Low-density lipoproteins, LDL, Overweight, Obesity, Insulin secretion, Insulin sensitivity, LDL size, LDL diameter, Inflammation, White adipose tissue, HyperapoB, Prediabetes, Botnia clamp, Intravenous glucose tolerance test, Hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp, Adipose tissue needle biopsy, Oral glucose tolerance test
- Medical subject headings
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Prediabetic State, Insulin Resistance, Glucose Intolerance, Obesity, Overweight, Diabetes Mellitus, Inflammation
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Fish OilDietary supplement
Four softgels of Carlson Elite EPA Gems taken orally per day (NPN 80079735, 1 g EPA/softgel)
Fish OilDietary supplement
Four softgels of Carlson Elite DHA Gems taken orally per day (NPN 80079736, 1 g DHA/softgel)
Corn oil controlDietary supplement
Four softgels of Carlson placebo taken orally per day (food-grade corn oil, 0 g EPA and DHA per softgel)
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) | Active comparator | 4 g EPA per day Receives: Dietary Supplement: Fish Oil |
| Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) | Active comparator | 4 g DHA per day Receives: Dietary Supplement: Fish Oil |
| Corn oil | Placebo comparator | 0 g EPA and DHA per day Receives: Dietary Supplement: Corn oil control |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change from baseline to 12 weeks in the disposition index
Disposition index calculated as first phase glucose-induced insulin secretion multiplied by insulin sensitivity measured during the Botnia clamp [(ng C-peptide/mL)*(mg dextrose/kg/min)/(µU insulin/mL)]
Measured: 12-weeks
Secondary outcomes (5)
Change from baseline to 12 weeks in glucose-induced insulin secretion
Glucose-induced insulin secretion measured by the Botnia clamp (ng C-peptide/mL)
Measured: 12 weeks
Change from baseline to 12 weeks in insulin sensitivity
Insulin sensitivity measured by the Botnia clamp (mg dextrose/kg/min)/(uU insulin/mL)
Measured: 12 weeks
Change from baseline to 12 weeks in the oral disposition index
Oral disposition index calculated as insulin secretion index (0-30 min) multiplied by insulin sensitivity index measured during an oral glucose tolerance test (arbitrary unit)
Measured: 12 week
Change from baseline to 12 weeks in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) size
LDL size measured by Quantimetrix Lipoprint System (Å)
Measured: 12 weeks
Change from baseline to 12 weeks in LDL-induced white adipose tissue (WAT) inflammation
LDL-induced WAT inflammation measured as WAT gene expression of a panel of pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators/markers (e.g. NLRP3, IL1B, MCP1, IL10, TREMs) by RT-qPCR. This will be measured after the incubation of participant WAT biopsies without or with their own LDL ex vivo.
Measured: 12 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted8 May 2026
- Study start5 Oct 2026
- Primary completion31 Dec 2029 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Dec 2029 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (6)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Type 2 DiabetesStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase 2
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Three-arm placebo-controlled randomized trial
- Masking
- Triple blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 84 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- May Faraj, PDt, PhD
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Diabetes Canada, Health Canada
- Responsible party
- Sponsor-investigator, May Faraj, PDt, PhD, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montreal
- Investigators
- May Faraj, P.Dt., Ph.D., Principal investigator, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM)/ Université de Montréal
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07575438
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2026-1363
- Other IDs
- Award ID: EDA-25-1514974
- Acronym
- END-T2D
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 4 May 2026
- Last updated
- 8 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Frozen plasma and white adipose tissue samples (when available in sufficient quantity) may be shared with other investigators for analysis. However, all statistical analyses incorporating the complete participant data will be conducted exclusively by the IRCM research team, in accordance with the Information and Consent Form signed by the participants
Publications
Faraj M, Messier L, Bastard JP, Tardif A, Godbout A, Prud'homme D, Rabasa-Lhoret R. Apolipoprotein B: a predictor of inflammatory status in postmenopausal overweight and obese women. Diabetologia. 2006 Jul;49(7):1637-46. doi: 10.1007/s00125-006-0259-7. Epub 2006 May 3.
PubMed 16752182Onat A, Can G, Hergenc G, Yazici M, Karabulut A, Albayrak S. Serum apolipoprotein B predicts dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome and, in women, hypertension and diabetes, independent of markers of central obesity and inflammation. Int J Obes (Lond). 2007 Jul;31(7):1119-25. doi: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0803552. Epub 2007 Feb 13.
PubMed 17299378Pencina KM, Pencina MJ, Dufresne L, Holmes M, Thanassoulis G, Sniderman AD. An adverse lipoprotein phenotype-hypertriglyceridaemic hyperapolipoprotein B-and the long-term risk of type 2 diabetes: a prospective, longitudinal, observational cohort study. Lancet Healthy Longev. 2022 May;3(5):e339-e346. doi: 10.1016/S2666-7568(22)00079-4. Epub 2022 May 4.
PubMed 36098309Richardson TG, Wang Q, Sanderson E, Mahajan A, McCarthy MI, Frayling TM, Ala-Korpela M, Sniderman A, Smith GD, Holmes MV. Effects of apolipoprotein B on lifespan and risks of major diseases including type 2 diabetes: a mendelian randomisation analysis using outcomes in first-degree relatives. Lancet Healthy Longev. 2021 Jun;2(6):e317-e326. doi: 10.1016/S2666-7568(21)00086-6. Epub 2021 May 21.
PubMed 34729547Lamantia V, Bissonnette S, Beaudry M, Cyr Y, Rosiers CD, Baass A, Faraj M. EPA and DHA inhibit LDL-induced upregulation of human adipose tissue NLRP3 inflammasome/IL-1beta pathway and its association with diabetes risk factors. Sci Rep. 2024 Nov 7;14(1):27146. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-73672-6.
PubMed 39511203Bissonnette S, Lamantia V, Ouimet B, Cyr Y, Devaux M, Rabasa-Lhoret R, Chretien M, Saleh M, Faraj M. Native low-density lipoproteins are priming signals of the NLRP3 inflammasome/interleukin-1beta pathway in human adipose tissue and macrophages. Sci Rep. 2023 Nov 1;13(1):18848. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-45870-1.
PubMed 37914804