Harvard Psychologist Links Keto Diet to Improved Mental Health

Christopher Palmer, a psychologist at Harvard University, has reached significant findings regarding the impact of the ketogenic diet—which emphasizes high fat intake, moderate protein, and very low carbohydrates—on mental and psychological health. He noted that this diet may help some patients regain control of their mental faculties by directly addressing metabolic disorders in the body.

In 2022, Palmer published his book “Brain Energy”, in which he asserted that the root causes of mental illness lie in metabolic dysfunction, rather than neurotransmitter imbalances in the brain—a theory he has strongly advocated.

Palmer, who works at McLean Hospital, a psychiatric facility near Boston, told the science research site UnDark that the ketogenic diet has long been used in traditional medicine to treat severe cases of epilepsy. Over the past few years, several studies have shown that the ketogenic diet can help manage not only epilepsy, but also bipolar disorder, major depression, and schizophrenia. It may even reduce some of the side effects associated with antipsychotic medications.

In a study published last year in Research Psychiatry, a journal focused on psychiatry, Dr. Shebani Sethi, a specialist in psychiatry and obesity medicine at Stanford University, conducted an experiment involving 21 adults diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. All participants had metabolic issues such as obesity or insulin resistance and were on antipsychotic medication.

Similarly, Dr. Georgia Ede, a psychologist trained at Harvard, conducted a study involving 31 adults suffering from severe psychiatric conditions including depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. These patients had remained mentally unstable despite years of intensive psychiatric treatment.

During a trial at a hospital in France, 28 of the participants were placed on a specialized diet for two weeks or more—the minimum period needed to observe results. Remarkably, all individuals who adhered to the ketogenic diet showed noticeable improvement in their mental state and metabolic health.

By the end of the trial, symptoms of the primary mental illness had significantly diminished in 43% of participants, and 64% were able to reduce their dosage of psychiatric medication.