A recent study indicates that the ketogenic diet could potentially provide benefits for individuals with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, with findings showing significant improvement for 69% of bipolar participants after adopting the diet.
Conducted over four months and involving 23 participants, primarily diagnosed with bipolar disorder but also including individuals with schizophrenia, the study, published in Science Direct, highlights promising outcomes in treating psychiatric conditions.
Utilizing the Clinical Global Impressions scale, a tool to gauge patient progress and treatment response, researchers observed an average improvement of 31% in the severity of mental illness among bipolar participants. Furthermore, assessments showed that more than two-thirds of participants experienced a reduction of over one point in the severity of their mental illness.
The study also notes a noteworthy 17% enhancement in life satisfaction across the entire participant group. Bipolar disorder, characterized by extreme mood swings, and schizophrenia, marked by abnormal interpretations of reality, both significantly impact daily functioning and quality of life.
While conventional treatments exist for these disorders, the study underscores the challenge of treatment resistance and potential metabolic side effects leading to non-adherence. Hence, researchers turned to the ketogenic diet—a regimen low in carbohydrates, moderate in protein, and high in fat—previously employed for epilepsy, diabetes management, and weight loss.
Dr. Shebani Sethi, clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford Medicine and lead author of the study, explains the diet’s mechanism as providing alternative energy sources to the brain, bypassing metabolic deficits.
Following four months on the keto diet, the study reports that 79% of participants with baseline symptoms experienced clinically meaningful improvements. Emphasizing that the diet should complement rather than replace traditional treatment methods, the authors advocate for further exploration of the interplay between mental health and metabolic health.
The study’s findings offer hope for individuals grappling with treatment-resistant psychiatric conditions and highlight the potential of dietary interventions as adjunctive therapies.