Written by Shashikant Iyengar, Metabolic Health Coach
Shashikant Iyengar is a Metabolic Health Coach from India, specializing in low-carb/ketogenic diets to help clients worldwide manage chronic health conditions, including the remission of type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and mental & neurological disorders. He offers personalized, evidence-based guidance to empower lasting health transformations.
The ketogenic diet, traditionally recognised for its role in managing epilepsy, has recently gained traction for its potential therapeutic benefits in mental health disorders. Emerging research by leading professionals such as Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Shebani Sethi of Stanford, Nicole Laurent, and Lori Calabrese supports the idea that a ketogenic diet may be an effective adjunctive therapy for conditions like depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and anxiety. This evolving field highlights the profound connection between metabolism and brain health.
The metabolic theory of mental illness
Dr Chris Palmer, a Harvard psychiatrist, is one of the prominent voices advocating for the ketogenic diet in psychiatry. He posits that many mental health conditions may be metabolic in nature, linked to mitochondrial dysfunction and impaired glucose metabolism in the brain. His research and clinical practice have shown that patients with treatment-resistant mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, have experienced remarkable improvements on a ketogenic diet. Dr Chris Palmer's book, Brain Energy, explores the groundbreaking theory that mental illnesses are metabolic disorders of the brain. In the book, he connects mitochondrial dysfunction and metabolic imbalances to conditions like depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, offering a revolutionary approach to mental health treatment. Through scientific research and patient stories, Dr. Palmer presents the ketogenic diet as a therapeutic tool to improve brain energy and function.
Ketogenic diet and depression
Dr. Georgia Ede, another Harvard-trained psychiatrist who specialises in nutrition and mental health, has extensively studied how the brain’s energy metabolism influences mood disorders. Her work emphasises that the brain’s reliance on glucose, combined with insulin resistance, may contribute to mood dysregulation. By switching the brain’s primary fuel source to ketones, the ketogenic diet offers a more stable and efficient energy supply, which may alleviate depressive symptoms. A study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry (2021) corroborates this, showing that a ketogenic diet reduced depressive symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder. Dr Georgia Ede's book Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind explores how dietary choices can profoundly impact mental health and cognitive function. She uncovers the links between processed foods, nutrient deficiencies, and psychiatric disorders, advocating for a low-carb/ketogenic diet to optimise brain health. Through practical advice and scientific research, Dr Ede empowers readers to take control of their mental well-being through nutritional changes.
Bipolar disorder and ketones
Dr. Shebani Sethi, a psychiatrist at Stanford, has focused her research on the impact of ketogenic diets in treating bipolar disorder. Bipolar patients often face metabolic comorbidities, such as insulin resistance, and struggle with mood stabilisation. Studies like those from Psychopharmacology (2019) have shown that a ketogenic diet can regulate mood swings in bipolar patients by improving mitochondrial function, reducing oxidative stress, and stabilising insulin sensitivity. Dr Sethi's research provides a compelling argument for the diet’s inclusion in bipolar disorder management. Dr Shebani Sethi is credited with establishing the field of Metabolic Psychiatry at Stanford University. She is a pioneer in integrating metabolic health with psychiatric care, focusing on how metabolic conditions like insulin resistance, obesity, and inflammation contribute to mental health disorders. Through her work at Stanford, Dr Sethi has advanced the understanding of how dietary interventions, such as the ketogenic diet, can be used as adjunctive treatments in psychiatry to improve mental health outcomes.
Schizophrenia and ketogenic therapy
Nicole Laurent, a licensed mental health counsellor, practising in Washington USA, has documented cases where patients with schizophrenia have experienced reduced psychotic symptoms after adopting a ketogenic diet. Schizophrenia, like other mental illnesses, is increasingly being understood as a disorder of brain metabolism. A case report published in Schizophrenia Research (2020) demonstrated that a ketogenic diet significantly reduced auditory hallucinations and improved cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia.
Anxiety and neuroprotection
Lori Calabrese practicing in Connecticut USA, is a psychiatrist known for incorporating nutritional strategies in her practice, has explored how the ketogenic diet can benefit anxiety disorders. Ketones, particularly beta-hydroxybutyrate, have neuroprotective properties that reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain—both of which are implicated in anxiety disorders. A 2022 review in Brain Sciences highlighted the ketogenic diet’s role in reducing anxiety symptoms through its effects on neurotransmitter regulation, particularly GABA and glutamate.
Scientific support
A growing body of research supports the efficacy of the ketogenic diet in mental health disorders. A randomized controlled trial published in Neuropharmacology (2022) found that ketogenic diets improved mood and cognitive function in patients with treatment-resistant depression. Similarly, a systematic review in BMC Psychiatry (2023) revealed that ketogenic interventions led to significant symptom reductions in patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Baszucki family success with bipolar disorder
The Baszucki family discovered the therapeutic potential of the ketogenic diet after their son, who struggled with severe bipolar disorder, saw significant improvements in his mental health through nutritional ketosis. Traditional treatments had little effect, but the ketogenic diet helped stabilise his mood and reduce symptoms. Motivated by these results, the family founded the Metabolic Mind Foundation to fund clinical research on ketogenic and metabolic therapies for mental health, particularly bipolar disorder. Their foundation is dedicated to advancing scientific understanding and expanding access to these promising treatment options for psychiatric conditions.
Conclusion
The ketogenic diet presents an exciting and promising adjunctive treatment for a variety of mental health conditions. Pioneering clinicians such as Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Georgia Ede, and Dr. Shebani Sethi are helping to bridge the gap between metabolic health and psychiatry, offering new hope to patients with treatment-resistant mental illnesses. While more research is needed, the current evidence suggests that the ketogenic diet could revolutionise mental health treatment by targeting the underlying metabolic causes of psychiatric disorders.
The ketogenic approach, with its potential to stabilise mood, reduce oxidative stress, and improve energy metabolism, offers a new avenue for patients who have not responded to conventional therapies. Its ability to restore mental wellness in some of the most challenging psychiatric cases marks a paradigm shift in understanding brain health, offering a beacon of hope for the future of mental health care.
By focusing on the metabolic roots of mental health disorders, the ketogenic diet could be a key part of personalised, integrative psychiatric care.
On the personal front, I am also working on the mental health space with a few successful cases of getting better control of depression, schizophrenia and bipolar with lowering of medications and improving the quality of life.
Read more from Shashikant Iyengar
Shashikant Iyengar, Metabolic Health Coach
Shashikant Iyengar is a prominent advocate for metabolic health in India, known for his expertise in low-carb/ketogenic diets. With multiple certifications in the low carb/ keto space & 35 years of pharma selling in Abbott & Pfizer, he brings a wealth of knowledge to his practice. He has co-organized India's 1st ever low-carb conference along with Anup Singh the pioneer of low carb in India. This conference called as Metabolic Health Conference has significantly influenced the country's approach to managing metabolic disorders. He actively contributes to educating the public & healthcare professionals via social media like Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook & conferences. He is a leading figure in the global metabolic health community.
