Ketogenic diet may change how your body handles alcohol
NCT ID NCT06065657
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at how being in ketosis (a state from a very low-carb diet) changes the way the body processes alcohol and affects the brain. About 23 healthy adults will follow three different 3-day diets and then drink 4-5 alcoholic beverages. Researchers will use breath tests and MRI scans to measure alcohol levels and brain activity. The goal is to understand the interaction between diet, alcohol, and brain function.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2/3
Runs two stages together: whether the treatment works, then large-scale confirmation.
- Participants
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23 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Feb 2024
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
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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21 to 50 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: 1. Willingness to provide signed, informed consent and commit to completing study procedures. 2. Reported on at least one day in the month prior to consent of consuming 2 or more standard alcohol drinks on a single day. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Unwilling or unable to refrain from use, within 24 hours of the alcohol lab procedures, psychoactive medications or medication that may affect study results. 2. Current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) diagnosis of any major psychiatric disorder (other than nicotine use disorders, or marijuana use disorders) as identified by clinical examination or structured interview that could interfere with study participation or make it hazardous for the subject. 3. Currently taking medication(s) that could interfere with study participation or make it hazardous for the subject to participate. (e.g. anticholinergics; antipsychotics; lithium; psychotropic drugs not otherwise specified) 4. Positive urine drug screen, positive for all substances but marijuana at screening or study visits (may be repeated once and if the result is negative on repeat, it is not exclusionary). 5. A current, clinically significant physical disease or abnormality on the basis of medical history, or routine laboratory evaluation that can impact brain function, the use of a ketone supplement, administration of ketogenic diet, or the use of alcohol (e.g., epilepsy, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, liver disease, kidney disease, kidney stones, chronic metabolic acidosis or a cardiomyopathy as determined by history and clinical exam). 6. Currently suffering from or has a history of stroke and/or stroke related spasticity. 7. Head trauma with loss of consciousness for more than 30 minutes or associated with skull fracture, inter-cranial bleeding or abnormal MRI (self-report, medical history). 8. Weight greater than 225lbs (Need to cap amount of alcohol given based on weight to individuals). 9. Females who are pregnant or breast-feeding 10. Contraindication to MRI, including presence of ferromagnetic objects, claustrophobia or fear of enclosed, medical conditions that prevent subjects from lying comfortably flat on his/ her back for up to 2 hrs.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Pennsylvania Center for Studies of Addiction
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States
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