Keto diet tested for weight loss in type 1 diabetes: a 4-week crash diet study
NCT ID NCT07185555
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a very low-calorie ketogenic diet (600-800 calories per day) can help people with type 1 diabetes and obesity lose weight safely. Fourteen adults will follow the diet for 4 weeks while using an automated insulin pump. The main goal is to see how much weight they lose, and researchers will also check blood sugar control and safety.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Very low-calorie ketogenic diet (meal replacements, 600-800 kcal/day)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a safe, short-term weight loss option for people with type 1 diabetes who are overweight, potentially improving their overall health.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early feasibility study with only 14 people and no comparison group. The diet is extremely low in calories and requires close medical supervision; risks include low blood sugar or diabetic ketoacidosis.
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 14 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2025
- Expected to finish
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Mar 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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18 to 99 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 years Diagnosis of type 1 diabetes or autoimmune diabetes for ≥ 12 months BMI ≥ 30 kg/m² HbA1c \< 9% Knowledge and use of carbohydrate counting Use of an Advanced Hybrid Closed Loop (AHCL) system for ≥ 3 months and willingness to maintain it during the study At least 1 diabetology follow-up visit in the last 12 months (including telemedicine) Willingness to purchase meal replacements for the entire study duration Exclusion Criteria: Ketoacidosis, severe hypoglycemia with seizures/coma, or severe hyperglycemia requiring hospitalization in the last 6 months Febrile illness within the last 2 weeks Dietary restrictions or intolerances incompatible with study food supplies Celiac disease, gastroparesis, food allergies Intense physical exercise \>2 hours on \>3 days per week History or risk of eating disorder, or other psychiatric disorders Recreational drug use or excessive alcohol consumption Chronic kidney disease (eGFR \<60 ml/min) Gallstones Liver failure Heart failure (NYHA III-IV), unstable angina, cardiac arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, or stroke within the last 12 months Respiratory failure Severe or active infections Planned elective surgery Rare metabolic diseases (porphyria, CPT2 deficiency, mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation defect, pyruvate carboxylase defect) Pregnancy (current or actively trying to conceive) Breastfeeding Current glucocorticoid therapy (except stable low-dose, inhaled, or replacement for adrenal insufficiency) Other serious medical conditions that might interfere with participation or study completion in the investigator's judgment Participant judged unable or unwilling to complete 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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University Hospital Policlinico Consorziale
RECRUITINGBari, Italy, 70124, Italy
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