Study Overview
A pilot clinical trial led by UC San Diego School of Medicine, published in Communications Medicine, offers a new approach to treating anorexia nervosa—one of the deadliest psychiatric disorders. In the United States, a death occurs every 52 minutes due to this condition or its complications. Even after weight restoration, patients often struggle with persistent psychological symptoms such as body dissatisfaction, fear of eating, and shape preoccupation, leading to a high risk of relapse.
Methods and Results
This 14-week, single-arm, nationwide outpatient study enrolled 22 patients with weight-normalized or mildly underweight anorexia nervosa who followed a supervised ketogenic intervention. 82% (18 participants) completed the study. Key findings include:
- No significant change in weight (BMI) was observed throughout the program.
- 72% of completers reached the recovered range on eating disorder scales and no longer met anorexia criteria.
- All completers showed improvement in depression scores, with 72% within the normal range.
Expert Perspectives
Lead author Dr. Guido Frank, Professor of Psychiatry at UC San Diego, stated: “We urgently need new approaches to anorexia nervosa. Ketogenic therapy looks beyond standard therapies and potentially targets the underlying physiology of the disorder. Evidence increasingly links anorexia to neurometabolic dysfunction, and we are hopeful that direct metabolic intervention can regulate neural function and alleviate psychological symptoms.”
Co-author Dr. Barbara Scolnick, an internist, shared her personal journey: “This research began as a search for answers for my niece, Caroline. Ketogenic therapy—a standard treatment for epilepsy—was a major catalyst, combined with other interventions, that allowed Caroline to achieve remission after a 15-year struggle with anorexia. These preliminary findings are encouraging and suggest this treatment may provide a path forward for others like Caroline.”
Future Directions
Funded by the Baszucki Group, the study highlights the potential of dietary interventions targeting neurometabolic function for even the most intractable psychiatric conditions. An extension of this study is currently recruiting participants with both anorexia and bulimia nervosa nationwide. Those interested can find more information on the clinical trials website.