Cure My Disease

Don't miss your cure!

 Log in / Sign up

Ketogenic diet may offer pain relief for women with lipedema

NCT ID NCT04632810

Symptom relief Sponsor: Helse Nord-Trøndelag HF Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 21, 2026 · Last updated Jul 22, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study investigates whether a low-energy ketogenic diet can reduce pain and improve quality of life in women with lipedema, a painful fat disorder affecting about 11% of women. Participants follow either a ketogenic or a non-ketogenic low-energy diet for 8 weeks. The goal is to see if ketosis, regardless of weight loss, can ease symptoms.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
a ketogenic low-energy diet
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a dietary approach to reduce pain and improve daily life for women with lipedema, a condition with few treatment options.
What could go wrong
This is a small, short-term trial (8 weeks) with only 70 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The diet is restrictive and may be hard to maintain long-term.

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

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

70 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Mar 2021

Finished

Aug 2025

Lead sponsor

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

18 to 75 years

Sex

Female participants only

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show 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: * Diagnosed with lipedema by skilled physical therapists * Body mass index \> 30kg/m2 and \< 45kg/m2 * Stable weight over the last three months (+2-3kg) * Not currently dieting to lose weight * Willing to meet for follow-ups every second week during the intervention * Willing to sign an informed consent before entering the study Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant or breast feeding * History of infectious diseases * Medication known to affect obesity * Enrolled in any other obesity treatment * Having had bariatric surgery. * Kidney disease is excluded * History of psychological disorders * Not mastering a Scandinavian language * Being mentally disabled * Malign disease * Diabetes * Any disease that leads to dietary advice that is not consistent with intervention advice

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Lipedema are added.

Our safety recommendation!

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Ketosis Lipedema Pain Weight Loss

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Lipedema

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Levanger Hospital, Nord-Trøndelag Hospital Trust

    Levanger, Norway

  • St Olavs Hospital

    Trondheim, Norway

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.