High-Fat Diet's effect on epilepsy: scientists track brain signals

NCT ID NCT02216500

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
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
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 Results may not be published yet.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
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Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 17, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

About one in four children with seizures does not respond well to standard treatments. This study collects data from people whose doctors have prescribed the ketogenic diet, a high-fat, low-carbohydrate regimen, to see how it affects brain electrical activity and metabolism. Researchers also track whether participants need fewer seizure medications over time. The goal is to understand how the diet works and how best to use it.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Ketogenic therapy, a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet
What this could lead to
If researchers learn how ketogenic therapy reduces seizures, doctors could tailor the diet more precisely and possibly lower medication doses for people with hard-to-treat epilepsy.
What could go wrong
This is an observational study, so it cannot prove that the diet causes seizure reduction. The diet is demanding to follow, and some participants may struggle to stick with it, which could limit what researchers learn.

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

About 400 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Start date

Sep 2006

Expected to finish

Oct 2031

An estimate. End dates often move.

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

Up to 50 years

Sex

Anyone

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: * Patients whose physician has prescribed the ketogenic diet * Patients with lab tests consistent with the ability to metabolize a high fat and low carbohydrate diet * Patients that can be compliant with administration of the therapy and with record keeping. Exclusion Criteria: * Patients with lab tests consistent with the inability to metabolize a high fat and low carbohydrate diet * Patients at risk of being non-compliant with administration of the therapy and with record keeping

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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

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  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

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  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University of Florida

    RECRUITING

    Gainesville, Florida, 32611, United States

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