Can cutting carbs curb knee pain? a diet trial puts it to the test
NCT ID NCT05785884
First seen Aug 12, 2026 · Last updated Aug 13, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study investigates whether a low-carbohydrate diet can reduce pain and improve quality of life in adults with knee osteoarthritis, compared to a standard USDA-recommended diet. Participants will follow a 6-week diet plan with all meals provided, and researchers will measure changes in pain, physical function, and mood. The goal is to see if diet quality, rather than weight loss alone, can offer a non-drug approach to managing knee pain.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- A 6-week randomized diet intervention comparing a low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) to a USDA-recommended diet, with all meals provided.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could establish a low-carbohydrate diet as a safe, non-drug way to reduce knee osteoarthritis pain and improve quality of life.
- What could go wrong
- The trial is relatively small and short-term, and results may not apply to everyone. Adherence to the diet is key, and individual responses may vary.
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 200 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Feb 2023
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2027
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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40 to 75 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. diagnosis of knee OA 2. pain in at least 4/7 days/week for the past 3 months (pain of ≥3/10 on 0-10 scale) 3. age between 40-75 4. average daily consumption of \>100 g carbohydrates (based on Phase 1 food checklist) 5. understanding of verbal and written English 6. self-identification as either NHB or NHW 7. BMI between 25 and 40 kg/m2 Exclusion Criteria: 1. unmedicated diabetes 2. unwillingness to follow prescribed diets 3. recent weight change (\>4 kg in past month) 4. currently on a diet 5. history of eating disorders or other psychiatric disorders requiring hospitalization within the past 6 months 6. digestive diseases 7. difficulty chewing or swallowing 8. reliance on others for meal preparation 9. cardiovascular or pulmonary disease 10. daily opioid pain medications 11. use of medications known to alter metabolism or digestion (e.g., proton-pump inhibitors) 12. use of anti-hypertensive medications that affect glucose tolerance 13. use of tobacco 14. participation in extreme exercise 15. knee replacement
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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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University of Alabama at Birmingham
RECRUITINGBirmingham, Alabama, 35294, United States
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