Mediterranean diet may soothe sickle cell pain, new study hopes
NCT ID NCT06886477
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 14, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study looks at whether following a Mediterranean diet can help reduce chronic pain in people with sickle cell disease. About 30 adults with sickle cell disease who have pain most days will try the diet and report their pain levels. Researchers will also check changes in gut bacteria and other body markers to understand how diet might affect pain.
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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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37 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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May 2025
- Finished
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Jul 2026
- 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.
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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: * Sickle Cell Disease Diagnosis * Chronic non-vaso-occlusive pain experienced on average ≥ 3 days per week for \> 6 months (based on a response of "Most days," "Every day," or "Some days" and not "Never" to the question "In the past 6 months, how often have you had pain?") * Ability to speak, read, write, and understand English * A Mediterranean Eating Pattern for Americans (MEPA-III) score \<13, indicating that they do not follow a Mediterranean diet. Exclusion Criteria: * Having taken systemic antimicrobials (to treat an infection in the previous 4 weeks) * History of colon cancer or inflammatory bowel disease (given potential untoward effects on the gut microbiome) * History of Clostridium difficile infection in the preceding 12 weeks; * Unable to agree to maintain physical activity at the current level for the duration of the study * Currently following a Mediterranean diet, vegan diet, or dietary restrictions (e.g., religious, food intolerance/allergy) that preclude adoption of a Mediterranean diet * Lack of access to a space to safely store and reheat food items * Living in a facility that provides meals. * Pregnancy or breastfeeding * More than 7 in-patient hospital stays in the last year * Currently receiving dialysis treatment
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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 Illinois Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, 60612, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Gene editing offers hope for a One-Time sickle cell cure
- Can olive oil and nuts in early pregnancy ward off gestational diabetes?
- Tiny biochip could reveal sickle cell severity
- Can a milder transplant cure sickle cell and thalassemia in adults?
- Can an antioxidant supplement calm sickle cell blood cells?