Isocaloric navy bean substitution for MASLD with fibrosis
Official title: Randomized Feasibility Trial of Isocaloric Navy Bean Substitution in Adults with MASLD
Funded at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · NIH-11433609 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A small, patient-friendly trial tests whether swapping in navy beans for some daily calories can help adults with MASLD and liver fibrosis without changing total calories.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | August 14, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $336,000 |
| NIH project number | 1R01DK148865-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11433609 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with MASLD and biopsy or imaging-confirmed fibrosis stage F2–F3 who can adhere to dietary changes.
✕Less likely to help
People without MASLD or without fibrosis, or those unable to follow the diet change, may not benefit.
What this research studies
This study will enroll adults with MASLD and fibrosis (stage F2–F3) to try a simple dietary change: replacing part of their habitual foods with navy beans while keeping overall calories the same. It uses a 24-week, two-period, two-sequence randomized crossover design at a single site to examine feasibility and early signs of benefit, including a biomarker in blood and imaging markers of liver fat and stiffness. Researchers will also collect gut and plasma samples to look for biological pathways that respond to the bean intervention. The goal is to determine whether a larger, multi-site trial is doable and to identify signals that could guide future treatment options.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could offer a scalable dietary option to reduce liver fat and improve liver health in people with MASLD and fibrosis.
How similar studies have gone: Prior small studies have shown feasibility for dietary substitutions; this trial aims to build on that with robust feasibility endpoints and biological signals.
Where this research is happening
-
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhang, Xiaotao — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Zhang, Xiaotao
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.