Effect of Fruit Smoothie Supplementation on Psychological Distress Among People Receiving Opioid Agonist Therapy

Background: People with substance use disorders generally have poor diets including limited intake of fruit and vegetables. Evidence shows substantial health benefits from increasing fruit and vegetable consumption on a variety of indicators and possibly also psychological distress. A pilot study has indicated that supplementation with fruit smoothie could be promising also among people receiving opioid agonist therapy (OAT) for opioid dependence. FruktBAR will compare the efficacy of fruit smoothie supplementation within the OAT clinics compared to standard treatment. Study design: FruktBAR is a multicentre, randomised controlled trial. The trial will recruit approximately 230 patients receiving OAT in Bergen and Stavanger, Norway. Intervention: The intervention involves daily supplementation with 250 ml fruit smoothie. The main endpoints are 16 weeks after intervention initiation. Participants will be included and followed up during and after intervention. Study population: The target group will be patients with opioid dependence receiving OAT from involved outpatient clinics in Bergen and Stavanger. Expected outcome: This study will inform on the relative advantages or disadvantages of a fruit supplementation in addition to the current medically and psychologically oriented treatment of people receiving opioid agonist therapy. If the supplementation is found to be safe and efficacious, it can be considered for further scale-up.