Moringa Powder Acceptability Trial Among Healthy Adults

The study is a randomized acceptability trial involving the provision of three different doses of Moringa powder to be consumed daily by study participants.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Consumption; Side Effect; Acceptability
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Moringa Powder - Medium Dose; Other: Moringa Powder - High Dose; Other: Moringa Powder - Low Dose

Detailed Description

Moringa is a drought-resistant nutrient-dense tree with high concentrations of anti-inflammatory plant chemicals in its edible leaves and seeds. In preclinical studies Moringa has been shown to improve insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and high blood pressure. But its effects in humans remain unclear. Moringa (20g leaf powder on two different days) supplementation decreased post-prandial glucose in Saharawi refugees with type 2 diabetes, compared to controls (Leone, et. al., 2018). In a randomized control trial in Spain, Moringa consumed as six daily capsules of dry leaf powder (2.4 g/day) for 12 weeks, significant decreased fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) among prediabetic subjects (Gomez-Martinez, et. al., 2021).

The investigators are conducting a testing trial of Moringa oleifera leaves, offered as powder, to be added to foods and/or drinks to test safety, acceptability and consumption of it in three different doses: 1 tsp, 2 tsp, and 3 tsp. Study participants will be randomly allocated to one of the three doses.

Among the studies that have been conducted with human subjects (individuals with diabetes), no adverse effects have been reported with whole leaf powder at up to a single dose of 50 g or using 8 g per day dose for 40 days (Stohs & Hartman, 2015).

The outcomes to be measured in this testing trial are the following:

• Consumption (measured by self-report and skin carotenoid level, as a biomarker of consumption of fruits and vegetables)
• Acceptability (measured by rating the taste of the moringa powder when consumed with foods/drinks)
• Safety (measured by self-report of any potential side effects, such as digestive issues due to fiber content) Results from this trial will suggest an acceptable dose in a population not yet diagnosed with a specific disease (e.g. diabetes) and therefore potentially less willing to consume it in doses that could make taste a potential barrier for consumption.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 52
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Berkeley, California, United States, 94720
      • University of California

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• adults (18-65 y old)
• University of California (UC) Berkeley staff
• able to communicate in English or Spanish

Exclusion Criteria:

• UC Berkeley students or academic employees
• pregnant or lactating individuals
• individuals who already consume Moringa regularly
• individuals who have been told that they have diabetes or hypothyroidism
• individuals who are taking any medication, with the exception of over-the-counter pain medication and contraceptives
• individuals who follow a medically prescribed diet

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Moringa Powder - Medium Dose; Group A	Other: Moringa Powder - Medium Dose; 2 teaspoons Moringa leaf powder to be consumed with usual food and/or drinks daily for 7 days
Experimental: Moringa Powder - High Dose; Group B	Other: Moringa Powder - High Dose; 3 teaspoons Moringa leaf powder to be consumed with usual food and/or drinks daily for 7 days
Experimental: Moringa Powder - Low Dose; Group C	Other: Moringa Powder - Low Dose; 1 teaspoon Moringa leaf powder to be consumed with usual food and/or drinks daily for 7 days

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Side effects	Total number of side effects reported	7 days
Consumption	Total number of days that moringa powder was consumed	7 days
Acceptability	Total acceptability score, in a scale from 3 to 15 points, with higher scores indicating greater acceptance	7 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Daily dose consumed	Average number of teaspoons consumed (among days when consumption was reported)	7 days

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Willingness to continue	Proportion who indicate willingness to continue consuming moringa powder	7 days
Taste	Average taste score (possible scores range is 1-3, with higher scores indicating greater acceptance)	7 days
Texture	Average texture score (possible scores range is 1-3, with higher scores indicating greater acceptance)	7 days
Visual appearance	Average visual appearance score (possible scores range is 1-3, with higher scores indicating greater acceptance)	7 days
Change in skin carotenoids	Difference in skin carotenoid score from baseline to endline (score at endline minus score at baseline). Skin carotenoid levels are measured using the VeggieMeter. This measurement involves scanning a finger using a quick, non-invasive optical method that requires the participant to gently press a finger against a lens surface, with the help of a spring-loaded cover. Skin carotenoids are a biomarker for consumption of fruits and vegetables. A positive outcome value is expected as an indication of consumption of the Moringa powder.	7 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of California, Berkeley
• Collaborators: University of California, Davis
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Susana Matias, PhD, University of California, Berkeley

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Leone A, Bertoli S, Di Lello S, Bassoli A, Ravasenghi S, Borgonovo G, Forlani F, Battezzati A. Effect of Moringa oleifera Leaf Powder on Postprandial Blood Glucose Response: In Vivo Study on Saharawi People Living in Refugee Camps. Nutrients. 2018 Oct 12;10(10):1494. doi: 10.3390/nu10101494.
• Gomez-Martinez S, Diaz-Prieto LE, Vicente Castro I, Jurado C, Iturmendi N, Martin-Ridaura MC, Calle N, Duenas M, Picon MJ, Marcos A, Nova E. Moringa oleifera Leaf Supplementation as a Glycemic Control Strategy in Subjects with Prediabetes. Nutrients. 2021 Dec 24;14(1):57. doi: 10.3390/nu14010057.
• Stohs SJ, Hartman MJ. Review of the Safety and Efficacy of Moringa oleifera. Phytother Res. 2015 Jun;29(6):796-804. doi: 10.1002/ptr.5325. Epub 2015 Mar 24.

Helpful Links

• Stohs SJ, Hartman MJ. (2015). Review of the Safety and Efficacy of Moringa oleifera.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 3, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 11, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): May 30, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 5, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 5, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): May 16, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 30, 2024
• Last Verified: December 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 2022-10-15659

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