2024-04-09 18:07:29
The ketogenic diet, which is based on the exclusion of carbohydrates, has proven itself in the treatment of obesity, type 2 diabetes and epilepsy. What about psychiatric illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder?
People with serious mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder may soon be prescribed a diet very high in fat and low in carbohydrates: the ketogenic diet. Many patients suffer from a double whammy of psychiatric and metabolic nature. While antipsychotic medications help regulate brain chemistry, they also often cause side effects like insulin resistance and obesity.
A 4-month pilot trial — published in Psychiatry Research — suggests that like the rest of the body, the ketogenic dietketogenic diet also improves metabolismmetabolism of the brain. Participants experienced significant reductions in weight (12%), BMI(12%), waist circumference (13%), and visceral adipose tissue (36%). Additionally, ketogenic therapy resulted in psychiatric benefits, with an average improvement of 31% on the Psychiatrists’ Rating of Mental Illness Scale. Participants also reported better sleep and higher quality of life.
Why such a diet?
« We saw more benefits in the group that followed the diet than in the group that only partially followed it, indicating a potential dose-response relationship. », said Shebani Sethi, associate professorassociate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, who explains the biological phenomenon behind it. “ There is growing evidence that psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorders arise from metabolic deficits in the brain, which affect the excitability of neuronal neurons. The ketogenic diet may provide ketonesketones as an alternative fuel to glucoseglucose for a brain suffering from energy dysfunction. »
This preliminary trial shows promise for designing larger, more robust studies.
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