Nutritional Intervention to Reduce Alcohol Consumption

Nutritional Intervention to Reduce Alcohol Consumption

To test whether the implementation of a modified ketogenic diet (KD) is efficient in reducing outcome measures in relation to alcohol consumption in patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD).

This pilot study aims at testing randomization and feasibility of implementing a modified KD in patients with AUD undergoing standard alcohol withdrawal treatment. For this purpose, a a standardized nutritional intervention consisting of interprofessional consultations by clinical dieticians and medical professionals will be implemented. Patients in the control group will be randomized in an AUD as usual treatment with an additional optional nutritional consultation. After dismission of inpatient care, the participants will be followed up for adherence to the modified KD in the outpatient clinic for 5 weeks.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age ≥ 18
• AUD diagnosis according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-5
• BMI > 22 (because of potential modified KD-side effect of weight loss)
• Able to give informed consent as documented by signature
• Last alcohol drink intake within 72 hours before treatment initiation

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant or lactating women,
• Inability or contraindications to undergo the investigated intervention (BMI<18)
• Clinically significant concomitant diseases impairing reasonable decision making (e.g. psychosis, dementia)
• Inability to follow the procedures of the study, e.g. due to language problems, Previous enrolment in a clinical trial
• Patients undergoing opioid maintenance treatment
• Patients taking medications for drinking relapse prevention
• Patients with a blood hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) > 7%