Take Part

Watch our video to learn more about participating in our trial or read below.

This study will compare the impact of using nutritional ketosis (following a diet which is high in fat and very low in carbohydrates, so your body will switch to burning fat for energy) or the NHS EatWell guide (eating a variety of foods to achieve a healthy, balanced diet) for 12 weeks on depressive symptoms in people with bipolar disorder.

Each participant will be randomly allocated to one of the two diets, giving them an equal chance of being assigned to either group. They will continue their usual treatment for bipolar disorder at the same time. We will study aspects of mental and physical health before, during and after the diets to see if either is an effective treatment for bipolar depression.

To be eligible to take part in the study, you need to be an adult (over 18 years old) with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and be experiencing significant depressive symptoms. 

You will not be able to take part if:

• You have certain conditions, such as liver failure or type 1 diabetes
• You are currently experiencing abnormally high mood (mania) 
• You don’t have access to a smartphone, as you will check the levels of ketones and glucose in your blood each day at home using finger-prick blood tests and a KetoMojo device, and then record these in a smartphone app.
• You may also not be able to take part if you have previously used a diet to promote nutritional ketosis (within the last 2 months) or are using certain weight-loss medications, as this could affect the accuracy of the study measurements.

The team will check your eligibility to take part in the study during the initial appointment. If you would like to ask any questions about this, please contact us at ENERGISE-BD@ed.ac.uk.

We will ask you to be in the study for 24 weeks and to follow a diet plan for 12 weeks. The study involves:

• A screening assessment (by phone or video call)
• A baseline assessment (in clinic) involving questionnaires, body measurements, blood samples, brain scans (for some Edinburgh participants) and the allocation of your diet. 
• Following your allocated diet for 12 weeks including weekly contact with a dietitian, and taking daily ketone measurements.
• A follow up scan (in clinic) at week six if you were scanned at baseline
• A follow up appointment (in clinic) at week 12 involving a reassessment of baseline measures, and a final brain scan (if completed at baseline)
• A follow up appointment (by phone or video call) at week 24 involving questionnaires.