Share on PinterestCan a keto diet help improve severe mental health symptoms? Image credit: Susan Brooks-Dammann/Stocksy.Severe mental health conditions challenge both patients and healthcare professionals with the metabolic side effects of antipsychotic medications. A Stanford Medicine pilot study suggests that a ketogenic diet, when combined with standard medication, may improve both metabolic health and psychiatric symptoms in people with severe mental illnesses.Despite these encouraging findings, experts emphasize the need for more comprehensive research, and recommend sticking with more sustainable dietary patterns.
Mental health conditions affect an estimated 57.8 million or more adults in the United States. This includes severe conditions, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Antipsychotic medications can be essential for symptom management but often lead to metabolic side effects such as weight gain and insulin resistance, negatively impacting individuals’ quality of life and sometimes causing treatment discontinuation.
Addressing these challenges, Stanford Medicine recently explored whether a ketogenic diet could enhance metabolic and psychiatric outcomes for patients with severe mental illness through a pilot study.
The ketogenic diet — high in fats, low in carbohydrates, and moderate in protein — has previously shown effectiveness in managing various conditions, including diabetes, obesity, and mental health disorders.
Now, Stanford Medicine’s pilot study had found that with standard medication and treatment, a 4-month ketogenic diet intervention may significantly improve symptoms and quality of life in people with severe mental illness and metabolic conditions.
The study appears in Psychiatry Research.
This 4-month study involved 21 adults diagnosed with bipolar disorder (76%) or schizophrenia (24%) who were taking antipsychotic medication and were overweight or had a metabolic issue, such as insulin resistance.
Most participants were female (62%) and white (76%), averaging 43 years old.
As outpatients, participants received instructionz to follow a ketogenic diet with specific macronutrient ratios: 10% carbs, 30% protein, 60% fat.
Though…