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A Pilot Study of Intermittent Calorie Restriction in Multiple Sclerosis

A Pilot Study of Intermittent Calorie Restriction in Multiple Sclerosis

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT02647502
Enrollment
36
Registered
2016-01-06
Start date
2015-12-31
Completion date
2017-06-30
Last updated
2017-11-17

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Brief summary

Experimental studies of the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model of multiple sclerosis, indicate that the number of calories fed to mice prevent EAE and are also associated with less severe disease in mice who do develop the disease. Currently, whether these results translate favorably in humans is unknown. This is a pilot trial of testing two caloric restriction (CR) diets versus a control diet in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients: one continuous caloric restriction (CR) diet where a small number of calories will be restricted every day or another intermittent CR diet where a caloric intake will be restricted more severely 2 days per week. Participants are randomized to one of the diets, and for the first 8 weeks, will receive standardized, prepared meals tailored to the specific diet. At the conclusion of the controlled feeding study, all participants will transition to an unblinded phase for an additional 40 weeks where they are provided with instructions to follow an intermittent CR diet.

Interventions

OTHERDiet

Diet, standardized to the 50th percentile for macronutrients, will be provided at varied calorie levels as described.

Sponsors

Johns Hopkins University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 50 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Aged 18-50 * Capable of storing food safely, willing to follow diet/eat provided food, and able to receive shipments at home or work * Meets 2010 criteria for McDonald MS; * Relapse or new lesion in previous 2 years * Expanded disability status score (EDSS) \< 6 * Disease duration ≤15 years * Untreated or on stable on first-line MS therapy \[injectable\] for at least 6 months, with no anticipated changes in the next 10 weeks * Unchanged vitamin D dose or thyroid replacement dose (for those on it) with no anticipated changes or in supplement use for the next 10 weeks. * Non-regular smoker (average no more than 1 cigarette/day) for at least 2 months * Stable weight, by self report, for past 3 months (± 8 lbs) * Body mass index (BMI) \> 23 kg/m2

Exclusion criteria

* Pregnant or nursing, or unwilling to prevent pregnancy (if of childbearing to potential) * History of gastrointestinal disease causing malabsorption * History of diabetes requiring medication * History of stage IV/V chronic kidney disease or vascular disease * History of major surgery in past 3 months * Current use of warfarin * History of eating disorder * Currently on a special diet for MS/other diet (provided diet will be pork free) * Chemotherapy within the past year

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Adverse events8 weeksAdverse events will be categorized by organ system and by the blinded neurologist's assessment of the relation to the diet.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Adverse Events48 weeksAdverse events will be categorized by organ system and by the blinded neurologist's assessment of the relation to the diet.
Quality of Life Questionnaire48 weeksFunctional Assessment in MS results will be assessed during the study
NIH Patient-Reported-Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS )Fatigue Questionnaire48 weeksPROMIS Fatigue results will be assessed during the study
Change in metabolite ratios8 weeksThe impact of each calorie restriction diet versus control diet on the metabolomics profile will be assessed.
Adherence to Calories Assigned8 weeksAdherence will be assessed by comparing the total caloric intake provided to the patients through the assigned diet to the total energy intake determined by the research dieticians.
Change in concentration of measures of metabolism8 weeksThe impact of each calorie restriction diet versus control diet on fasting glucose, insulin, leptin, ghrelin, C-reactive protein, lipids, and long-chain ceramides will be assessed.
Change in serum lipid concentration8 weeksThe impact of each calorie restriction diet versus control diet on fasting lipids and long-chain ceramides will be assessed.
Change in serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor concentration (BDNF)8 weeksThe impact of each calorie restriction diet versus control diet on fasting BDNF will be assessed.
Change in levels of oxidative stress biomarkers8 weeksThe impact of each calorie restriction diet versus control diet on protein carbonyls, 8-isoprostane, nitrotyrosine, and 4-hydroxynonenal adducts will be assessed.
Immune cell subsets/cytokines8 weeksThe impact of each calorie restriction diet versus control diet on ratios of immune cell subsets (e.g. T-helper (TH)17, TH1, TH2, T regulatory) and related cytokines will be assessed.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 27, 2026