Ketogenic versus Carnivore (Lion) diets for inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This randomized controlled trial assigns adults with medically verifiable IBD (Crohn's or ulcerative colitis) or rheumatoid arthritis to a ketogenic diet, a carnivore (lion) diet, or a wait-list control. After a 3-week run-in, participants follow their assigned diet for 24 weeks with remote support, at-home ketone and glucose monitoring, and a digital body composition scale. Questionnaires and periodic laboratory tests will track quality of life, disease-specific symptoms, nutritional status, cardiometabolic markers, and inflammatory/immune biomarkers. The study also documents safety, adverse events, and feasibility given the limited prospective data on carnivore diets.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosed with medically verifiable IBD or medically verifiable RA
* Current personal residence in the continental U.S.
* Willingness and ability to follow dietary protocols

Exclusion Criteria:

* Inability to provide consent
* Individuals with Type 1 or Type II Diabetes on prescription medications including insulin
* Outside of the age or BMI criteria
* No medically definitive or verifiable diagnosis of IBD or RA
* History of strictures or fistula (IBD)
* History of blood transfusion in the previous 6 months
* Pregnancy
* 6 months Postpartum
* Breastfeeding
* On other medications outside of FDA approved medications
* Current initiation of disease modifying or biologic medication within the past 2 months
* Unable to complete, for any reason, the initial 3-week run-in period prior to the beginning of the formal study intervention
* Non-English Speaking
* Organ failure of any kind including heart, liver and kidney failure or disease
* History of malignancy within the last year prior to enrollment
* Red meat allergy, alpha-gal allergy

Where it's running

• Resilient Roots: Functional Medicine
  Charlottesville, Virginia, United States Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Robert D Abbott, MD — Resilient Roots: Functional Medicine
• Study coordinator: Robert D Abbott, MD
• Email: info@resilientrootsfxevomed.com
• Phone: 4342183425

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.