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The following is a summary of “Investigation of the Impact of a Low-Carbohydrate Diet on The Chronic Pain Experience Among Adults with an Acquired Limb Loss: A Pilot Study,” published in the April 2025 issue of Journal of Pain Research by Wiggins et al. 

Acquired limb loss was a traumatic experience frequently linked to chronic pain, such as phantom limb pain (PLP) and residual limb pain (RLP), leading to decreased emotional well-being and QoL, with limited long-term treatment options.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to analyze the potential impact of diet on pain and QoL outcomes in adults with acquired limb loss.  

They enrolled seven adults with acquired limb loss (M = 50.57, SD ± 13.63 years) in a 6-week low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) intervention. Pain sensitivity (Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), Neuropathic Pain Questionnaire (NPQ)), cognitive flexibility (CFS), depression (CES-D, PROMIS-57), anxiety (PROMIS-57), pain resilience (PRS), and overall QoL (SF-36) were measured at baseline, 3 weeks, and 6 weeks using validated questionnaires.  

The results showed that at baseline, participants reported notable levels of depression (M = 18.71, SD ± 6.16) and anxiety (M = 19.71, SD ± 5.94) but relatively high PRS (M = 44.42, SD ± 6.70). After 6 weeks, improvements were observed in self-reported pain severity, emotional well-being, and psychosocial factors, including depression and anxiety.  

Investigators concluded that an LCD might have influenced multiple chronic pain-related factors in adults with amputation, and while these adults with chronic PLP/RLP may have reported high resilience and reported high levels of depression and anxiety. 

Source: dovepress.com/investigation-of-the-impact-of-a-low-carbohydrate-diet-on-the-chronic–peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-JPR