NCT03995602

The Effects of Dragon Fruit Consumption on Vascular Function.

Completed NA Last updated 7 June 2021

What this trial tests

NA trial testing Dragon fruit juice drink in Healthy Men and Women in 20 participants. Completed in 22 January 2020.

Timeline

18 June 2019

Primary endpoint
22 January 2020

22 January 2020

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	King's College London
Phase	NA
Status	Completed
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	crossover
Masking	triple
Primary purpose	basic science
Enrollment	20
Start date	18 June 2019
Primary completion	22 January 2020
Estimated completion	22 January 2020
Sites	1 location across United Kingdom

Drugs / interventions tested

• Dragon fruit juice drink
• Placebo

Conditions studied

• Healthy Men and Women — all drugs for Healthy Men and Women →

Sponsor

King's College London

Who can join

Adults 18 to 40, any sex, with Healthy Men and Women. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Native to South America and South East Asia, the dragon fruit (pitaya) has become increasingly popular world-wide due to their vivid hue and bizarre structure. More importantly, their high levels of bioactive phytochemical betalains has sparked considerable scientific interest. Recent findings from in vitro and in vivo animal studies tentatively suggest that betalains may have ameliorative effects on vascular function. This will be a first randomised controlled trial aimed to explore the impact of dragon fruit consumption on blood pressure and other vascular parameters in healthy individuals. The study will feature a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled and crossover design with flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) as primary outcome along with blood pressure and arterial stiffness as secondary outcomes. Cardiovascular biomarkers as well as relevant metabolites will also be determined from blood and urine samples collected from participants.

Publications & conference data

3 peer-reviewed publications reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. Betalain-rich dragon fruit (pitaya) consumption improves vascular function in men and women: a double-blind, randomized controlled crossover trial.
   Cheok A, Xu Y, Zhang Z, Caton PW, et al · · 2022 · cited 18× · PMID 35265960 · DOI 10.1093/ajcn/nqab410
2. Development of a (Poly)phenol Metabolic Signature for Assessing (Poly)phenol-Rich Dietary Patterns.
   Li Y, Xu Y, Le Sayec M, Yan X, et al · · 2024 · cited 6× · PMID 38829321 · DOI 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c00959
3. Development of metabolic signatures of plant-rich dietary patterns using plant-derived metabolites.
   Li Y, Xu Y, Sayec ML, Spector TD, et al · · 2024 · cited 2× · PMID 39604558 · DOI 10.1007/s00394-024-03511-x