Can a keto diet and metformin starve brain tumors?

NCT ID NCT04691960

Ongoing Disease control Sponsor: Weill Medical College of Cornell University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

glioblastoma malignant glioma

As listed by the trial registrant

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

GLIOBLASTOMA

Contacts and locations

Locations

Columbia University

New York, New York, 10032, United States
Weill Cornell Medicine

New York, New York, 10065, United States

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