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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsA major Scottish-led trial will test whether a ketogenic diet can reduce depressive symptoms in people with bipolar disorder compared with NHS EatWell guidance. The study, called ENERGISE-BD, is planned to involve about 200 participants, who will follow their assigned diet for 12 weeks with dietitian support while continuing their usual medication. It is designed to answer whether either approach helps; results establishing a benefit have not been reported.
What ENERGISE-BD is testing
ENERGISE-BD is a randomised controlled trial jointly led by the Universities of Edinburgh and Birmingham. Its full title is “Evaluating Nutritional Ketosis Versus NHS EatWell Guidelines for Bipolar Depression: Single Blind Phase III Randomised Controlled Trial.” It will compare a high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet intended to produce nutritional ketosis with the NHS Eatwell healthy-eating approach.
The University of Edinburgh says the study plans to recruit about 200 people. Participants are expected to follow their assigned diet for 12 weeks, receive dietitian support and continue their usual medication. About half are planned to have brain scans. The trial will assess depressive symptoms as well as brain-chemistry measures, how practical each diet is to follow and potential costs to the NHS. University of Edinburgh, 1 October 2026
| Study arm | Dietary approach | What the comparison can show |
|---|---|---|
| Ketogenic diet | High-fat, low-carbohydrate diet intended to achieve nutritional ketosis | Whether this approach performs differently from NHS Eatwell guidance on the trial’s measured outcomes |
| NHS Eatwell guidance | UK NHS healthy-eating approach | Comparison arm against which the ketogenic diet is assessed |
The trial is supported by NHS Lothian, Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, and the Edinburgh Clinical Trials Unit, which is described as contributing trial design, delivery, data systems and statistical expertise. Bipolar Scotland and Bipolar UK are among the patient organisations supporting the project. The University of Edinburgh reports £7.9 million in funding from Wellcome. University of Edinburgh
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That is the question the trial is intended to test, not a treatment conclusion readers can draw today. The sources describing ENERGISE-BD do not report results showing that the ketogenic diet or NHS Eatwell approach improves bipolar depressive symptoms, or that one is better than the other. A planned sample size, funding amount or study design does not establish efficacy.
The University of Edinburgh says the project was partly motivated by reports from people with lived experience who felt their symptoms improved when trying a ketogenic diet. People with lived experience also helped codesign the research. Such accounts explain why the question is being studied; they are not clinical evidence that keto treats bipolar depression.
What earlier research can—and cannot—tell us
The new trial follows a smaller Edinburgh pilot of a ketogenic diet in bipolar disorder. The pilot was single-group and non-randomised, with an eight-week intervention and pre- and post-diet assessments that included mental-health measures, blood pressure, blood tests and brain imaging. The Health Research Authority summary describes that study’s approach.
Because the pilot did not randomly compare keto with a control diet, it can inform feasibility and early-stage investigation but cannot establish whether keto is an effective treatment or superior to another diet. ENERGISE-BD’s randomised comparison is intended to address that gap.
Where and when recruitment is planned
The University of Edinburgh’s 1 October 2026 announcement says recruitment is expected to start in central Scotland before expanding to the Birmingham area in early 2027. A Bipolar Edinburgh account anticipated recruitment at the start of October 2026, but that expectation is not confirmation that the trial is currently enrolling. Check the University of Edinburgh announcement or contact the trial team for current enrolment status and eligibility criteria; the available accounts do not provide a complete current eligibility list.
The University of Edinburgh Research Explorer lists the project as active, with a start date of 1 February 2026 and a planned end date of 31 March 2031. Those are project dates, not a date when trial results are guaranteed to be published. University of Edinburgh Research Explorer
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What people with bipolar disorder should take from the study
ENERGISE-BD is a research test, not a recommendation to start a ketogenic diet. Participants receive professional dietitian support and stay on their usual medication as part of the study. Do not change prescribed treatment on the basis of an ongoing trial or early-stage pilot; discuss treatment and dietary changes with the clinicians responsible for your care.
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