A pilot study by Stanford Medicine researchers suggests a promising new adjunct treatment for individuals with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder who experience metabolic side effects from standard antipsychotic medications. The study, published in Psychiatry Research, reports that a ketogenic diet not only improves metabolic health but also enhances psychiatric outcomes for these patients, offering a dual benefit that could potentially encourage better adherence to treatment.
The ketogenic diet, commonly referred to as the “keto diet,” is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate eating plan that has been used for decades, primarily to treat epilepsy, especially in children who do not respond to conventional medications. By drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat, the body is forced into a state of ketosis, where it burns fat instead of carbohydrates for energy.
The classic ketogenic diet follows a strict ratio of fats to carbohydrates and proteins, often around 4:1 by weight. This means that about 80-90% of the caloric intake comes from fats, with the remainder provided by a combination of proteins and very limited carbohydrates. Foods such as bread, pasta, grains, and sugary snacks are replaced with fats like nuts, cream, butter, and healthy oils, as well as sufficient protein sources.
Research into the ketogenic diet’s effect on brain chemistry suggests that ketone bodies produced during ketosis can provide a more efficient and steady energy source for the brain, potentially stabilizing neuronal activity and reducing inflammation. This has led scientists to explore its benefits beyond epilepsy, including its potential effects on mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety.
Given that metabolic dysfunction could be contributing to the exacerbation of psychiatric symptoms, and knowing the ketogenic diet’s capacity to alter metabolic processes, the researchers saw an opportunity to explore its use as a complementary treatment. They hypothesized that the ketogenic diet might help mitigate the metabolic side effects of psychiatric medications while potentially enhancing their therapeutic effects on…