Flaxseed Oil, Olive Oil, and Their Combination on Hepatic and Metabolic Outcomes in Patients With Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease

September 19, 2026 updated by: University of Lahore

This 16-week randomized controlled trial evaluated the effects of flaxseed oil, extra virgin olive oil, and their combination on biochemical hepatic and metabolic outcomes in patients with MAFLD.

The study assessed CK-18 as the primary outcome, with BMI, HbA1c, liver enzymes, and lipid profile as secondary outcom

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This 16-week, four-arm randomized controlled trial involving 112 patients with MAFLD evaluated the effects of flaxseed oil, extra virgin olive oil, and their combined supplementation compared with a control group.

The study primarily assessed serum CK-18, with BMI, HbA1c, liver enzymes, and lipid profile as secondary biochemical and metabolic outcomes to evaluate the potential benefits of these dietary oils.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
112

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Pakistan
    • Punjab Province
      • Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 54000
        • Sana Noreen

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

45 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Participants aged 45-65 years, with a confirmed diagnosis of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD),
  • a body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m²,
  • HbA1c ≥5.7%,
  • elevated serum cytokeratin-18 (CK-18)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participants who had initiated or changed hypoglycemic, lipid-lowering, antihypertensive, hepatoprotective, corticosteroid, or weight-loss medications within the three months preceding enrollment were excluded,
  • Pregnant or lactating women, individuals with known allergies or hypersensitivity to flaxseed, olive oil, or other herbal products used in the intervention,
  • participants with severe hepatic, renal, cardiovascular, or other systemic diseases that could interfere with the study outcomes

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Placebo Comparator: T0. Control group

Conventional diet+treatment
Dietary supplement: Conventional diet+treatment

Conventional diet+treatment
Experimental: T1: flaxseed oil

Conventional diet+ treatment + flaxseed oil (22.5ml/day)
Dietary supplement: flaxseed oil

Conventional diet+ treatment + flaxseed oil (22.5ml/day)
Experimental: T2: extra virgin olive oil

Conventional diet+ treatment + extra virgin olive oil (22.5ml/day)
Dietary supplement: extra virgin olive oil

Conventional diet+ treatment + extra virgin olive oil (22.5ml/day)
Experimental: T3: extra virgin olive oil + flaxseed oil

Conventional diet+ treatment + combined extra virgin olive oil (22.5 ml/day) plus flaxseed oil (22.5 ml/day)
Dietary supplement: Flaxssed oil and extra virgin olive oil

Conventional diet+ treatment + combined extra virgin olive oil (22.5 ml/day) plus flaxseed oil (22.5 ml/day)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Body Mass Index
Time Frame: 16 WEEKS

BMI (Body Mass Index) is a measure of body weight relative to height, calculated as weight (kg) ÷ height² (m²) and expressed in kg/m².
16 WEEKS
Glycated Hemoglobin Levels
Time Frame: 16 WEEKS

Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) reflects the average blood glucose level over the previous 2-3 months and is reported as a percentage (%)
16 WEEKS
Cytokeratin-18 (CK-18) Analysis
Time Frame: 16 WEEKS

Cytokeratin-18 (CK-18) is a biomarker of hepatocyte apoptosis and liver injury, commonly measured in serum and reported according to the specific assay used.
16 WEEKS
Liver Enzymes
Time Frame: 16 weeks

Liver enzymes are blood biomarkers used to assess liver injury and function, commonly including ALT, AST, ALP, and GGT, reported in U/L.
16 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
lIPID PROFILE
Time Frame: 16 WEEKS

Lipid profile measures blood lipids, including total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), LDL-C, and HDL-C, which are important indicators of cardiovascular and metabolic health.mg/dL
16 WEEKS

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Lahore

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: sana noreen, University of Lahore

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 25, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 26, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 30, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 9, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 19, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 23, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 23, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 19, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • REC-UOL-607/24

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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