Link Between Mental & Metabolic Health
Improving metabolic health can improve brain health
Mental & Metabolic Disorders are Not Separate
“Mental disorders are metabolic disorders of the brain”
Dr. Chris Palmer
Did you know that there are clear connections between brain-based conditions and common health disorders linked to metabolism, including diabetes, heart disease, pain disorders and obesity? Through the groundbreaking and visionary work of psychiatrists like Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Chris Palmer and Dr. Shebani Sethi, and neurologists, Dr. Dale Bredesen and Dr. Matthew Phillips, METABOLIC PSYCHIATRY & NEUROLOGY have been born.
A growing number of people suffering with psychiatric and neurological illnesses like anxiety, depression, epilepsy, Parkinson’s, early stage Alzheimer’s, bipolar disorder and even schizophrenia have put their illness in remission using metabolic interventions (like therapeutic ketogenic diet, circadian rhythm regulation, exercise, sense of purpose and community). The therapeutic ketogenic diet has been used by the medical community for over 100 years to reduce and even eliminate seizures in epileptic people.
Now do you see how powerful a dietary intervention can be for the brain?
What is a Therapeutic Ketogenic Diet?
The ketogenic diet is used to manage various brain-based conditions, most notably epilepsy, as well as many mental health disorders like bipolar disorder, anxiety and depression.
A ketogenic diet is not a food list, but any way of eating that lowers insulin levels enough to shift the body into burning ketones for energy. The brain LOVES ketones, as they provide the cleanest fuel and have neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties.
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The brain-healing benefits of ketosis are accessible to everyone, regardless of dietary preferences. Whether you follow an omnivore, vegetarian, vegan, or carnivore diet, it's possible to achieve ketosis.
The ketogenic diet aims to mimic the healing benefits of fasting, but without the fasting. Historically, our ancestors fasted much more frequently than we do today. In contrast, many of us now snack throughout the day, eat right before bed, and start eating as soon as we wake up. Practices like intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating, where all meals are consumed within a 6- to 8-hour window, can be an adjunct to the ketogenic diet and help kick-start ketosis (the process of burning fat for energy).
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It’s important to understand that therapeutic or medical ketogenic diets are not the same as popular weight loss approaches like Atkins or general keto for fat loss. While all these diets share a focus on low carbohydrates, their goals, structure, and applications differ significantly.
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Therapeutic or medical keto is designed for neurological purposes, such as managing epilepsy, neurodegenerative conditions, as well as mental and metabolic disorders. It typically involves a very precise ratio of fats to carbs and proteins, often under clinical guidance.
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Weight loss keto or Atkins tends to be more flexible and is often focused on fat burning and appetite control rather than specific medical outcomes.
Each approach has its benefits depending on your health goals. If you're currently taking medication and considering a therapeutic ketogenic diet, it's essential to work closely with your prescribing physician. Dietary changes can significantly impact your body chemistry and how your medications function, and professional oversight ensures these changes are safe and appropriate for your specific health needs.
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Check these out for more information:
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Historical Context of the Ketogenic Diet as a Metabolic Treatment*
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Epilepsy: The ketogenic diet has been a proven treatment for epilepsy since 1920. Despite 100+ years of evidence and over 25 years of robust support, including 12 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and 2 Cochrane reviews, many neurologists and top hospitals still do not recommend it as a first-line treatment. Denise Potter RDN, with 33 years of experience (17 with ketogenic therapy), calls this malpractice. Denise Potter - Is KD being underutilized?
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Diabetes: In 1969, Dr. Richard K. Bernstein, frustrated with the American Diabetes Association’s ineffective guidelines, was the first to use a blood glucose monitor to track his blood glucose levels and to advocate for a low carbohydrate diet. His groundbreaking method, detailed in Diabetes Solution, is often dismissed by medical practitioners. However as those who follow his low carb method (TypeOneGrit) have proven, Dr. Bernstein revolutionized diabetes management.
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Psychiatric Disorders: In 2009, Dr. Eric Westman’s weight loss patient, Doris, who had lived with treatment-resistant schizophrenia for 53 years, achieved remission after starting a ketogenic diet. In 2019, the Baszucki Group began funding research, leading to new insights into the diet's potential for treating schizophrenia.
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Multiple Sclerosis (MS): Dr. Terry Wahls developed the Wahls Protocol, which includes ketosis and fasting, to put her MS into remission in 2007. She shared her story in a TEDx Talk [many] years ago.
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Alzheimer’s: Dr. Dale Bredesen's ReCODE program has been helping patients reverse or improve cognitive decline since 2014, using a KetoFLEX approach. His work, along with that of Dr. Mary Newport (published in 2011), laid the foundation for use of a ketogenic diet in treating Alzheimer’s.
*Shared with permission from the incredible team at One of One Billion, whose mission is to make metabolic psychiatry a first-line treatment worldwide. Read the full article here and join the movement at oneofonebillion.org.
“The most powerful way to change brain chemistry is with food, because that’s where brain chemicals come from in the first place”.
Dr. Georgia Ede
Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind
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​“Metabolic and mitochondrial dysfunction/dysregulation is the only framework that integrates all known biopsychosocial causes of mental illness. This understanding holds the potential to completely revolutionize how we treat mental illness”.
Dr. Chris Palmer
Brain Energy
Study Finds Severe Mental Illnesses Improve on Ketogenic Diet
Read the full study in Frontiers in Psychiatry
“I actually enjoy taking my new medicine because it is just simply delicious food”
Ajalah Efem, Metabolic Revolution speech
Ajalah is a single mother of two in the South Bronx, New York. She reversed her severe type 2 diabetes on a low-carb diet in a matter of weeks. Along with lifting her depression, she no longer needs a cane or any of her 15 medications. Listen to her transformational story here.Tissue required.