Can a 4-Week Low-Carb diet make liver surgery safer?
NCT ID NCT05884723
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests whether a 4-week ketogenic diet before liver surgery can reduce fat in the liver and lower the need for blood transfusions. About 124 adults with fatty liver and colorectal cancer that spread to the liver will either follow the diet or get standard dietary advice. The goal is to see if the diet makes surgery safer by reducing liver fat and bleeding risks.
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 (very low carbohydrate, high fat, moderate protein)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this diet could become a standard short-term preparation to make liver surgery safer for patients with fatty liver.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage trial with 124 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The diet is strict and may be hard to follow, and it is not a treatment for the underlying liver disease.
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 124 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2024
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2032
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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18 years and older
- 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.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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 18 years of age or older undergoing any type of liver resection (e.g. wedge, formal hepatectomy), either open or laparoscopic, for colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) * Patients with evidence of hepatic steatosis on pre-operative imaging (CT or MR) or biopsy. * Ability to use an app based nutritional program to track macronutrient uptake throughout the dietary intervention. Exclusion Criteria: * Patients undergoing liver resection for any other indication * Patients on sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors (these are contraindicated with a ketogenic diet). * Patients without evidence of hepatic steatosis. * Patients with evidence of liver fibrosis or cirrhosis on preoperative bloodwork or imaging. * Patients with alcohol-related hepatic steatosis. * Patients with a known bleeding disorder.
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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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London Health Sciences Centre/Western University
RECRUITINGLondon, Ontario, N6A 5A5, Canada
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