Keto diet may alter Alcohol's effects on the brain
NCT ID NCT07602270
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 05, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests whether a 4-week ketogenic diet changes how the brain responds to alcohol. Twenty adults will follow the diet and undergo alcohol tolerance tests and brain scans before, during, and after the diet. The goal is to understand how ketosis affects alcohol metabolism and brain chemistry.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- ketogenic diet
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward dietary strategies that influence alcohol tolerance and brain metabolism.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early-phase study with only 20 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The diet is strict and may be hard to follow.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2026
- Expected to finish
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May 2030
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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21 to 50 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age 21 years to 50 years old. 2. Willingness to provide signed, informed consent and commit to completing study procedures. Reported on at least one day in the month prior to consent of consuming 2 or more standard alcohol drinks on a single day. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Unwilling or unable to refrain from use, within 24 hours of the alcohol lab procedures, psychoactive medications or medication that may affect study results. 2. Current DSM-5 diagnosis of any major psychiatric disorder (other than nicotine use disorders, or marijuana use disorders) as identified by clinical examination or structured interview that could interfere with study participation or make it hazardous for the subject. 3. Currently taking medication(s) that could interfere with study participation or make it hazardous for the subject to participate. (e.g. anticholinergics; antipsychotics; lithium; psychotropic drugs not otherwise specified) 4. Positive urine drug screen, positive for all substances but marijuana at screening or study visits (may be repeated once and if the result is negative on repeat, it is not exclusionary). 5. A current, clinically significant physical disease or abnormality on the basis of medical history, or routine laboratory evaluation that can impact brain function, the use of a ketone supplement, administration of ketogenic diet, or the use of alcohol (e.g., epilepsy, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, liver disease, kidney disease, kidney stones, chronic metabolic acidosis or a cardiomyopathy as determined by history and clinical exam). 6. Currently suffering from or has a history of stroke and/or stroke related spasticity. 7. Head trauma with loss of consciousness for more than 30 minutes or associated with skull fracture, inter-cranial bleeding or abnormal MRI (self-report, medical history). 8. Weight greater than 225lbs (Need to cap amount of alcohol given based on weight to individuals). 9. Females who are pregnant or breast-feeding 10. Contraindication to MRI, including presence of ferromagnetic objects, claustrophobia or fear of enclosed, medical conditions that prevent subjects from lying comfortably flat on his/ her back for up to 2 hrs.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Center for Studies of Addiction
RECRUITINGPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States
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