Trial reportJournal of diabetes and its complications
The antioxidant N-Acetylcysteine does not improve glucose tolerance or β-cell function in type 2 diabetes.
Trial report in Journal of diabetes and its complications. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01394510 (Effect of Anti-oxidants on Beta-cell Function in Humans), which is not on this map. Cited by 22 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Effect of Anti-oxidants on Beta-cell Function in Humans
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 33 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of high dose N-acetyl cysteine supplementation on markers of oxidative stress and insulin resistance in non-diabetic patients with metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease: a randomized controlled trial.BMC gastroenterology · 2026Trial
- Response to Intravenous N-Acetylcysteine Supplementation in Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19.Nutrients · 2023Trial
- Glutathione Biology in Neurodegenerative and Metabolic Diseases: Molecular Mechanisms, Pathophysiological Roles, and Therapeutic Perspectives.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Ferroptosis-related stress during aging and its relevance to disease.GeroScience · 2026Review
- Mechanistic Insights into Antioxidant Interventions Targeting Obesity-Induced Oxidative Stress in the Pathogenesis and Complications of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.Current issues in molecular biology · 2025Review
- The antioxidant, N-acetyl-L-cysteine, affects beta cell oxidative stress, insulin secretion, and intracellular signaling pathways in MIN6 cells.Cell and tissue research · 2025Article
- NRF2 deficiency leads to inadequate beta cell adaptation during pregnancy and gestational diabetes.Redox biology · 2025Article
- Effect of high-dose N-acetyl cysteine on the clinical outcome of patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy: a randomized controlled study.Diabetology & metabolic syndrome · 2025Article
- Linking oxidative stress biomarkers to disease progression and antioxidant therapy in hypertension and diabetes mellitus.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2025Review
- A metabolic redox relay supports ER proinsulin export in pancreatic islet β cells.JCI insight · 2024Article
- Oxidative Stress, Endothelial Dysfunction, andAntioxidants & redox signaling · 2024Review
- The Role of Glutathione and Its Precursors in Type 2 Diabetes.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- A Synopsis of the Associations of Oxidative Stress, ROS, and Antioxidants with Diabetes Mellitus.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Review
- A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial in Healthy Older Adults to Determine Efficacy of Glycine and N-Acetylcysteine Supplementation on Glutathione Redox Status and Oxidative Damage.Frontiers in aging · 2022Article
- N-acetyl-L-cysteine treatment reduces beta-cell oxidative stress and pancreatic stellate cell activity in a high fat diet-induced diabetic mouse model.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2022Article
- Raising the 'Good' Oxidants for Immune Protection.Frontiers in immunology · 2021Review
- N-Acetylcysteine: A Review of Clinical Usefulness (an Old Drug with New Tricks).Journal of nutrition and metabolism · 2021Review
- Olive oil with high polyphenolic content induces both beneficial and harmful alterations on rat redox status depending on the tissue.Toxicology reports · 2020Article
- Glutathione "Redox Homeostasis" and Its Relation to Cardiovascular Disease.Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity · 2019Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
unlabelledHyperglycemia induces oxidative stress and thereby may exacerbate β-cell dysfunction in type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Notably, glutathione (GSH), synthesized from N-Acetylcysteine (NAC), neutralizes reactive oxygen species within cells and is low in individuals with diabetes.
aimDetermine if NAC supplementation improves β-cell function and glucose tolerance by decreasing oxidative stress in T2DM.
methodsThirteen subjects (6M/7F) with T2DM (duration: 0-13 years, median: 2 years), treated with diet/exercise alone (n=7) or metformin (n=6), underwent a 2-h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at baseline, after 2 weeks supplementation with 600 mg NAC orally twice daily, and again after 2 weeks supplementation with 1200 mg NAC twice daily. The following measurements were made: fasting glucose and fructosamine for glycemic control, incremental AUC glucose (0-120 min) for glucose tolerance, and Δ insulin/Δ glucose (0-30 min) for the early insulin response to glucose. Fasting erythrocyte GSH and GSSG (oxidized glutathione) levels, plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and urine F2α isoprostanes were measured to assess oxidative status.
resultsSubjects were middle aged (mean ± SEM: 53.9 ± 3.2 years), obese (BMI 37.3 ± 2.8 kg/m(2)), and relatively well-controlled (HbA1c 6.7 ± 0.3%, 50 mmol/mol). Glycemic control, glucose tolerance, insulin release, and oxidative markers did not change with either dose of NAC.
conclusionsBased on the lack of any short-term benefit from NAC supplementation on markers of glucose metabolism, β-cell response, and oxidative status, it is unlikely to be a valuable therapeutic approach for treatment of type 2 diabetes.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.