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Trial registered on ANZCTR


Registration number
ACTRN12625000919415
Ethics application status
Approved
Date submitted
23/07/2025
Date registered
22/08/2025
Date last updated
22/08/2025
Date data sharing statement initially provided
22/08/2025
Type of registration
Prospectively registered

Titles & IDs
Public title
Investigating whether drinking purple and red fruit juices can improve memory, reduce inflammation, and support metabolic health in people with obesity
Scientific title
The effect of purple and red-rich fruit juice on inflammation, adiponectin, oxidative stress, and brain function in adults with obesity: a pilot randomised controlled trial
Secondary ID [1] 314966 0
None
Universal Trial Number (UTN)
Trial acronym
Linked study record

Health condition
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied:
Obesity 338278 0
Condition category
Condition code
Metabolic and Endocrine 334580 334580 0 0
Other metabolic disorders
Neurological 334581 334581 0 0
Studies of the normal brain and nervous system
Inflammatory and Immune System 334582 334582 0 0
Other inflammatory or immune system disorders
Diet and Nutrition 334702 334702 0 0
Obesity

Intervention/exposure
Study type
Interventional
Description of intervention(s) / exposure
Brief name: Red fruit juice and Purple extract Intervention

Arm 1 – Dragon Fruit Juice Group:
Participants will consume 250 mL of red dragon fruit juice daily for 6 weeks. The juice contains approximately 55 mg of betalains per serving and will be provided in individual bottles. Participants are instructed to store the juice in their home refrigerator and consume one bottle per day.
Dose: 250 mL/day
Bioactives: ~55 mg betalains
Duration: 6 weeks
Mode of administration: Oral, self-administered at home
Materials used: Bottled red dragon fruit juice
Delivered by: Research team from the University of Wollongong
Monitoring: Daily juice tracker; bottle return of unused juice at follow-up and paper diary.

Arm 2 – Queen Garnet Plum Extract Group:
Participants will consume 30 mL/day of Queen Garnet plum extract, providing approximately 300 mg of anthocyanins per day. The extract will be provided in individual daily doses and stored in the refrigerator.
Dose: 30 mL/day
Bioactives: ~300 mg anthocyanins
Duration: 6 weeks
Mode of administration: Oral, self-administered at home
Materials used: Bottled extract
Delivered by: Research team from the University of Wollongong
Monitoring: Daily juice tracker; bottle return of unused juice at follow-up and paper diary.

Adherence and Fidelity Monitoring:
Participants will complete a daily intake tracker
Used bottles and extract packaging will be collected at follow-up
Verbal and written instructions provided at baseline clinic visit
Intervention code [1] 331559 0
Treatment: Other
Intervention code [2] 331560 0
Lifestyle
Comparator / control treatment
Control Group: Raspberry Cordial (Placebo)
Participants in the control group will consume 250 mL of commercially available raspberry-flavored cordial per day for 6 weeks. The cordial is similar in appearance and taste but does not contain meaningful levels of anthocyanins or betalains, serving as a placebo control.
Dose: 250 mL once daily
Duration: 6 weeks
Mode of administration: Oral, self-administered at home
Materials used: Bottled raspberry cordial
Procedures: Participants are instructed to store the cordial in the refrigerator and consume one full bottle daily
Delivery personnel: Research team at the University of Wollongong (initial delivery and instructions)
Monitoring: Daily juice tracker; bottle return of unused juice at follow-up and paper diary.
Fidelity strategy: Matched appearance and taste to intervention juices to maintain blinding
Control group
Placebo

Outcomes
Primary outcome [1] 342259 0
Change in serum adiponectin levels
Timepoint [1] 342259 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [1] 450168 0
Change in serum tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a) levels
Timepoint [1] 450168 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [2] 450169 0
Change in fasting serum glucose levels
Timepoint [2] 450169 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [3] 450171 0
Change in fasting serum insulin concentrations
Timepoint [3] 450171 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [4] 450172 0
Change in serum leptin levels
Timepoint [4] 450172 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [5] 450173 0
Change in liver function biomarker Alanine aminotransferase (ALT)
Timepoint [5] 450173 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [6] 450174 0
Change in lipid profile - Total cholesterol
Timepoint [6] 450174 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [7] 450175 0
Change in systolic and diastolic blood pressure
Timepoint [7] 450175 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [8] 450176 0
Change in verbal memory performance
Timepoint [8] 450176 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [9] 450177 0
Change in executive function and processing speed
Timepoint [9] 450177 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [10] 450178 0
Change in visuospatial memory
Timepoint [10] 450178 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [11] 450179 0
Change in mood states -Depression
Timepoint [11] 450179 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [12] 450180 0
Change in cutaneous microvascular reactivity
Timepoint [12] 450180 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [13] 450181 0
Change in gene expression of Adiponectin Receptor 1 (ADIPOR1) in whole blood
Timepoint [13] 450181 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [14] 450545 0
Change in serum Interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels
Timepoint [14] 450545 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [15] 450546 0
Change in serum Interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels
Timepoint [15] 450546 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [16] 450547 0
Change in liver function biomarker Aspartate aminotransferase (AST)
Timepoint [16] 450547 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [17] 450548 0
Change in liver function biomarker Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT)
Timepoint [17] 450548 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [18] 450549 0
Change in lipid profile - HDL
Timepoint [18] 450549 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [19] 450550 0
Change in lipid profile - LDL
Timepoint [19] 450550 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [20] 450551 0
Change in lipid profile - Triglycerides
Timepoint [20] 450551 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [21] 450552 0
Change in mood states - Anxiety
Timepoint [21] 450552 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [22] 450553 0
Change in mood states - Stress
Timepoint [22] 450553 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [23] 450554 0
Change in gene expression of Leptin receptor (LEPR) in whole blood
Timepoint [23] 450554 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [24] 450555 0
Change in gene expression of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFA) in whole blood
Timepoint [24] 450555 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [25] 450556 0
Change in gene expression of Interleukin-6 (IL6) in whole blood
Timepoint [25] 450556 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [26] 450557 0
Change in gene expression of Interleukin-10 (IL10) in whole blood
Timepoint [26] 450557 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [27] 450558 0
Change in gene expression of Superoxide dismutase (SOD) in whole blood
Timepoint [27] 450558 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention
Secondary outcome [28] 450559 0
Change in gene expression of Catalase (CAT) in whole blood
Timepoint [28] 450559 0
Baseline and 6 weeks after commencement of intervention

Eligibility
Key inclusion criteria
Participants will be eligible if they:
- Are aged between 45 and 75 years;
- Have a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 30 kg/m² (classified as obesity);
- Are fluent in English (spoken and written);
- Are able and willing to attend two clinical visits and consume the study beverage daily for 6 weeks;
- Provide written informed consent.
Minimum age
45 Years
Maximum age
75 Years
Sex
Both males and females
Can healthy volunteers participate?
No
Key exclusion criteria
Participants will be excluded if they:
- Have a current or past diagnosis of neurodegenerative disease (e.g. Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis);
- Have major psychiatric disorders (e.g. schizophrenia, bipolar disorder);
- Have been diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus;
- Have clinically significant cardiovascular, renal, hepatic, or gastrointestinal disease;
- Are currently undergoing treatment for cancer or have received chemotherapy or radiotherapy in the past 12 months;
- Regularly consume dietary supplements or functional foods high in anthocyanins or betalains that cannot be discontinued during the study period;
- Have allergies or intolerances to the intervention ingredients (e.g. pitaya, plum, raspberry);
- Are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or currently breastfeeding;
- Are currently participating in another clinical trial or have participated in one within the last 30 days;
- Are unable or unwilling to comply with the study protocol.

Study design
Purpose of the study
Treatment
Allocation to intervention
Randomised controlled trial
Procedure for enrolling a subject and allocating the treatment (allocation concealment procedures)
central randomisation by phone/fax/computer
Methods used to generate the sequence in which subjects will be randomised (sequence generation)
Simple randomisation using a randomisation table created by computer software (i.e. computerised sequence generation)
Masking / blinding
Blinded (masking used)
Who is / are masked / blinded?
The people receiving the treatment/s
The people administering the treatment/s
The people assessing the outcomes
The people analysing the results/data
Intervention assignment
Parallel
Other design features
Phase
Not Applicable
Type of endpoint/s
Statistical methods / analysis

Recruitment
Recruitment status
Not yet recruiting
Date of first participant enrolment
Anticipated
Actual
Date of last participant enrolment
Anticipated
Actual
Date of last data collection
Anticipated
Actual
Sample size
Target
Accrual to date
Final
Recruitment in Australia
Recruitment state(s)
NSW

Funding & Sponsors
Funding source category [1] 319521 0
University
Name [1] 319521 0
University of Wollongong - UOW Partnership grant
Country [1] 319521 0
Australia
Primary sponsor type
University
Name
University of Wollongong
Address
Country
Australia
Secondary sponsor category [1] 322032 0
Commercial sector/Industry
Name [1] 322032 0
QGBIO+
Address [1] 322032 0
Country [1] 322032 0
Australia

Ethics approval
Ethics application status
Approved
Ethics committee name [1] 318095 0
University of Wollongong Health and Medical Human Research Ethics Committee
Ethics committee address [1] 318095 0
Ethics committee country [1] 318095 0
Australia
Date submitted for ethics approval [1] 318095 0
21/05/2024
Approval date [1] 318095 0
30/07/2024
Ethics approval number [1] 318095 0
2024/168

Summary
Brief summary
Trial website
Trial related presentations / publications
Public notes

Contacts
Principal investigator
Name 143102 0
Prof Karen Charlton
Address 143102 0
School of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences, Building 41, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
Country 143102 0
Australia
Phone 143102 0
+61 02 4221 4754
Fax 143102 0
Email 143102 0
Contact person for public queries
Name 143103 0
Karen Charlton
Address 143103 0
School of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences, Building 41, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
Country 143103 0
Australia
Phone 143103 0
+61 02 4221 4754
Fax 143103 0
Email 143103 0
Contact person for scientific queries
Name 143104 0
Karen Charlton
Address 143104 0
School of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences, Building 41, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
Country 143104 0
Australia
Phone 143104 0
+61 02 4221 4754
Fax 143104 0
Email 143104 0

Data sharing statement
Will the study consider sharing individual participant data?
No


What supporting documents are/will be available?

No Supporting Document Provided


Results publications and other study-related documents

Documents added manually
No documents have been uploaded by study researchers.

Documents added automatically
No additional documents have been identified.