Could a High-Fat diet help heal the brain after anorexia?
NCT ID NCT06540703
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looks at whether a therapeutic ketogenic diet (a high-fat, low-carb diet) can normalize brain metabolism and reduce lingering eating disorder symptoms in people who have recovered from anorexia nervosa. About 90 participants, including healthy controls, will undergo brain scans and assessments before and after 14 weeks on the diet, with a 6-month follow-up. The goal is to see if changing the brain's fuel source can improve mental health outcomes.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- therapeutic ketogenic diet
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a dietary approach to help people who have recovered from anorexia nervosa feel better mentally and reduce persistent eating disorder thoughts.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early, open-label study with no placebo group, so results may be influenced by expectation. The diet is strict and may be hard to maintain, and long-term benefits are uncertain.
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 90 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2024
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2030
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 to 45 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: Weight Recovered Anorexia Nervosa (wrAN) * Age 18-45 years old * Male and Female sexes * All ethnic backgrounds * History of restricting-type anorexia nervosa (AN) according to DSM-5 criteria * Weight recovered with a body mass index \> 17.5 for at least one month at the time of study * Elevated eating disorder-relevant behaviors on the Eating Disorders Inventory-3 and the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire Healthy Control Group * Age 18-45 years old * Male and Female sexes * All ethnic backgrounds * Normal lifetime BMI according to CDC Exclusion Criteria: Weight Recovered Anorexia Nervosa (AN) * Current pregnancy or nursing (will have to agree to contraceptive measures if sexually active) * Lifetime history of bipolar I disorder or psychosis * Current substance abuse or dependence in the past 3 months * Psychotic illness/other organic brain syndromes, dementia, somatization disorders or conversion disorders * History of significant head trauma * Indication of intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder Healthy Control Group * No lifetime psychiatric illness and in particular no eating disorder history * Not be taking medication, and will not have a first degree relative with an eating disorder. No subject in either group will have or be * mental retardation or pervasive developmental disorder * organic brain syndrome * dementia * psychotic disorder * bipolar disorder * somatic symptom * conversion disorder * current alcohol or substance use disorder * indication of major medical illness including a history of seizure disorder * pregnant or nursing at the time of the study * a history of traumatic brain injury. * diabetes mellitus or other metabolic disorders that could worsen on a ketogenic diet * intracranial or any other metal object within or near the head that cannot be safely removed, excluding the mouth * implanted neurostimulators, intracardiac lines, or heart disease
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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 California San Diego
RECRUITINGSan Diego, California, 92121, United States
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- Lab-Grown brain cells could unlock Anorexia's secrets
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