Keto diet tested as new tool for type 1 diabetes control
NCT ID NCT06503809
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a very-low-carbohydrate (ketogenic) diet can safely improve blood sugar control in adults with type 1 diabetes. Researchers will enroll 58 people and measure changes in blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity. Participants will follow the diet for a period while using continuous glucose monitors and insulin therapy.
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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 58 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2024
- Expected to finish
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Mar 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 65 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.
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: * Age ≥18 and ≤65 years * T1D diagnosed \>1 year prior to screening * HbA1c 7.0%-9.0% * Stable insulin delivery method for the past 30 days * Ability to read all device instructions and insulin pump settings * eGFR ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2 * Use of an insulin pump or insulin delivery by multiple daily injections * Use of personal CGM for at least 12 weeks and willing to change to Dexcom CGM for the duration of the study, if using a different sensor, to reduce variability in glucose values associated with different CGM products * Use of cellular phone with data capability for wireless connectivity to the CGM system. Exclusion Criteria: * Body mass index \<20.0 or \>34.9 kg/m2 * Severe gastroparesis or history of bariatric surgery * Diabetes-related hospitalization (including for diabetic ketoacidosis or severe hypoglycemia) within 12 months of screening * Poorly controlled hypertension (SBP ≥160 mmHg or DBP ≥100 mmHg) * Taking diabetes medications, other than insulin (particularly SGLT2 inhibitors, which are associated with an increased risk of euglycemic DKA) * Structured exercise \>210 minutes per week * Pregnant, lactating, not using effective birth control if premenopausal, or planning to become pregnant within the 6-month study period * Unstable weight (\>4% change in the last 2 months) * Significant organ system dysfunction (e.g., severe pulmonary, renal, hepatic, or cardiovascular disease) * Anemia (Hgb \<10 g/dL) * Major psychiatric illness * Active tobacco use (\>8 cigarettes/day) or illegal drug use * Regular alcohol consumption (\>10 standard drinks per week) * Use of medications known to affect the study outcome measures or increase the risk of study procedures that cannot be temporarily discontinued for this study * Familial hypercholesterolemia * Active eating disorder * Dietary restrictions incompatible with a very-low-carbohydrate KD, vegan diet, vegetarian diet, severe lactose intolerance, severe aversion/sensitivity to eggs, fish, nuts, wheat, or soy, and any anaphylactic food allergy * Already consuming a low-carbohydrate (\<130 g/day) diet * Persons who are not able to grant voluntary informed consent * Persons who are unable or unwilling to follow the study protocol or who, for any reason, the research team considers an inappropriate candidate for the study.
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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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Washington University School of Medicine
RECRUITINGSt Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
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