Can a keto diet and metformin starve brain tumors?
NCT ID NCT04691960
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a ketogenic diet (high fat, low carb) combined with the diabetes drug metformin is safe and tolerable for people with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. The idea is to lower blood sugar, which tumors use to grow. The 18 participants prepare their own meals with a nutritionist's help. The main goals are to see if they can stick with the diet and tolerate metformin, not yet to measure tumor shrinkage.
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 and metformin
What this could lead to
If this approach works, it could point toward a new way to slow glioblastoma growth by cutting off the sugar that tumors need to thrive.
What could go wrong
This is a very small, early pilot study with only 18 participants. It focuses on feasibility and tolerability, not on whether the diet and drug actually shrink tumors or extend survival.
Disclaimer
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Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.
This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.
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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.
Contacts and locations
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Locations
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Columbia University
New York, New York, 10032, United States
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Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, New York, 10065, United States