Nutritional Analysis of Bottarga and Pilot Study Protocol for Bottarga Supplementation in Individuals with Prediabetes

Background: Bottarga is a nutrient-dense, marine (“blue”) food produced through sustainable practices. Despite its rich nutritional profile, no clinical studies have investigated its potential health benefits in humans. This study presents a comprehensive nutritional analysis of a commercially available Greek bottarga and outlines the protocol for a pilot clinical investigation to assess its metabolic effects. Methods: The lipid composition of bottarga was analyzed using proton and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The clinical protocol consists of two phases: aim 1 is a single-arm, open-label, dose-confirmation study in five overweight and prediabetic adults evaluating the effects of daily bottarga supplementation (20 g/day) over six weeks on metabolic markers; aim 2 is a randomized, open-label, controlled, cross-over pilot study involving 20 overweight and prediabetic participants. Each participant will receive either bottarga or an isocaloric dairy comparator for eight weeks, separated by a two-week washout period. The primary outcome will be selected based on the most clinically relevant findings from Aim 1. Results: According to our nutritional analysis, wax esters are the predominant lipid class in the product, followed by triacylglycerols and free fatty acids. We expect bottarga supplementation to be associated with more beneficial metabolic changes compared to baseline measures and to the calorically equivalent comparator food. Conclusions: This study will provide the first clinical data on the metabolic effects of bottarga in humans, potentially supporting it as a functional food for cardiometabolic health.