Ketogenic Approach to Restore Muscle in Older Patients With Community-Acquired Pneumonia - KARMA-P Trial

NCT ID: NCT07308483

Last Updated: 2025-12-29

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 30 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2026-06-01
• Study Completion Date: 2029-07-31

Brief Summary

The purpose of the study is to see if a ketogenic diet compared to a standard diet is better to maintain muscle function and health in hospital admitted pneumonia patients.

Detailed Description

Bacterial community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a leading cause of hospitalization and mortality in older adults, often resulting in significant muscle wasting, systemic inflammation, and microbiome dysbiosis. Muscle loss, driven by bedrest, acute illness, and antibiotic-induced dysbiosis, all contribute to prolonged hospital stay, delayed recovery, and long-term physical decline. Current interventions such as physical rehabilitation and increased protein intake are largely ineffective in mitigating the acute illness-induced muscle wasting due to metabolic dysfunction such as impaired glucose control. Preliminary evidence suggests that ketogenic enteral feeding is safe, reduces inflammation, stabilizes metabolism and preserves functional outcomes in hospitalized patients. Because most of older hospitalized CAP patients are able to ingest food orally, our study aims to test the safety, feasibility and determine effect sizes for preliminary evidence of a 10-day oral ketogenic diet (low carbohydrate, high fat) in older CAP patients.

The investigators will conduct a double-blinded pilot randomized clinical trial in 30 hospitalized older adults (>55 years) with bacterial CAP, randomizing participants to a ketogenic feeding (n=15) or standard hospital feeding (n=15). Muscle mass will be assessed using ultrasound, inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers from blood, and microbiome composition from oral and skin swabs collected at baseline, 10-Day post-intervention, and 1-month post-intervention follow-up. Handgrip strength will be collected at baseline and 10-day follow-up. Physical activity measures (accelerometry) will be measured for 7 days after the 10-day and 1-month follow-up visits. Physical function (short physical performance battery), handgrip strength, and activity levels (accelerometry) will be measured at 1-month follow-up. Daily blood ketone level measurements will guide feeding adjustments to maintain ketosis, and dietary habits will be assessed weekly post-intervention until 1-month follow-up. Meals for the 10-day intervention will be prepared in a metabolic kitchen by a clinical nutritionist.

If successful, this study will provide evidence for oral ketogenic feeding as an innovative intervention to prevent muscle wasting and functional decline, supporting a future phase IIb clinical trial targeting middle-aged and older adults hospitalized with CAP.

Conditions

Pneumonia

Keywords

ketogenic feeding; pneumonia

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

ketogenic feeding

The ketogenic feeding will have a macronutrient composition of approximately 10% energy from carbohydrates, 25% energy from protein, and 65% energy from fat.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Ketogenic feeding

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The ketogenic feeding will have a macronutrient composition of approximately 10% energy from carbohydrates, 25% energy from protein, and 65% energy from fat. No food group will be excluded in this diet prescription; however, the diet will emphasize low-glycemic sources of carbohydrate, and include mainly whole foods such as non-starchy vegetables with minimal highly processed grain products and added sugar. Protein foods will include meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and whey protein supplements, if necessary. Fat-containing foods will include olive, coconut, and nut oils; butter; tree nuts and nut butters; cheese; cream; coconut milk; avocados; and the fat found in meat. A number of full-fat dairy products will be included. Saturated fat will be limited to 10% of total fat intake. Patients will obtain the majority of their fat intake from poly- and mono-unsaturated fatty acids at a 4:1 ratio.

Standard feeding

The standard, control diet will be compatible with the USDA guidelines. It will consist of approximately 60% carbohydrate, 20% protein, 20% fat. Participants will be given low-fat foods, whole-grain foods, fruits, and vegetables.

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Standard feeding

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The standard, control diet will be compatible with the USDA guidelines. It will consist of approximately 60% carbohydrate, 20% protein, 20% fat. Participants will be given low-fat foods, whole-grain foods, fruits, and vegetables. The meal plans will minimize cholesterol, high-fat foods, high-cholesterol foods, processed starches, and added sugar, and will provide \<2300 mg/day sodium. Saturated fat will be limited to 10% of total fat intake, and all dairy products will be fat-free (or low fat). Participants will obtain the majority of their fat intake from poly- and mono-unsaturated fatty acids at a 4:1 ratio matched to the ketogenic feeding group; however, total grams will be lower.

Interventions

Ketogenic feeding

The ketogenic feeding will have a macronutrient composition of approximately 10% energy from carbohydrates, 25% energy from protein, and 65% energy from fat. No food group will be excluded in this diet prescription; however, the diet will emphasize low-glycemic sources of carbohydrate, and include mainly whole foods such as non-starchy vegetables with minimal highly processed grain products and added sugar. Protein foods will include meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and whey protein supplements, if necessary. Fat-containing foods will include olive, coconut, and nut oils; butter; tree nuts and nut butters; cheese; cream; coconut milk; avocados; and the fat found in meat. A number of full-fat dairy products will be included. Saturated fat will be limited to 10% of total fat intake. Patients will obtain the majority of their fat intake from poly- and mono-unsaturated fatty acids at a 4:1 ratio.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Standard feeding

The standard, control diet will be compatible with the USDA guidelines. It will consist of approximately 60% carbohydrate, 20% protein, 20% fat. Participants will be given low-fat foods, whole-grain foods, fruits, and vegetables. The meal plans will minimize cholesterol, high-fat foods, high-cholesterol foods, processed starches, and added sugar, and will provide \<2300 mg/day sodium. Saturated fat will be limited to 10% of total fat intake, and all dairy products will be fat-free (or low fat). Participants will obtain the majority of their fat intake from poly- and mono-unsaturated fatty acids at a 4:1 ratio matched to the ketogenic feeding group; however, total grams will be lower.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Age 55 years and older
• Bacterial community-acquired pneumonia
• Expected at least 10-day stay in the hospital
• Ability to ingest food orally
• Willingness to be randomized to either treatment group
• Willingness to participate in all study procedures

Exclusion Criteria

• Failure to provide informed consent
• Moribund
• Vegetarian/vegan
• Severe cardiac disease, including NYHA Class III or IV congestive heart failure, clinically significant aortic stenosis, history of cardiac arrest, use of a cardiac defibrillator, or uncontrolled angina
• Diagnosed dementia
• Hip fracture, hip or knee replacement, or spinal surgery within past 4 months
• Simultaneous participation in another intervention trial

• Minimum Eligible Age: 55 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

University of Alabama at Birmingham

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Robert T Mankowski

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Countries

United States

Facility Contacts

Robert Mankowski, PhD

Role: primary

Other Identifiers

1R21AG098466-01

Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT

Identifier Source: secondary_id

IRB-300015253

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id