Metabolic Mind

Alzheimer’s disease is usually discussed in terms of plaques, tangles, and genetics. Dr. Stephen Cunnane has spent years studying another piece of the puzzle: what happens when the aging brain can no longer use glucose efficiently, and whether ketones can help fill that energy gap.

In this interview, Dr. Bret Scher and Dr. Cunnane discuss the metabolic side of cognitive decline, including insulin resistance, brain glucose metabolism, and why metabolic health may play an important role in both prevention and treatment.

They cover:

• Why brain glucose utilization declines with age and Alzheimer’s disease
• How ketones may provide an alternative fuel for the brain
• What clinical trials of ketogenic diets, MCTs, and exogenous ketones have found so far
• Why some studies show improvements in quality of life or daily function even when cognitive measures change less
• What APOE4 may mean for treatment and prevention
• Why type 2 diabetes is such an important modifiable risk factor for dementia
• The roles of exercise, carbohydrate reduction, MCTs, and other lifestyle strategies
• Why Dr. Cunnane believes prevention should begin long before cognitive symptoms appear

Dr. Cunnane also shares news about SPARCUS, the Sprott Prevent Alzheimer Research Collaboration at the University of Sherbrooke. The new program will support research and education around multi-domain metabolic approaches to cognitive health, including reduced carbohydrate intake, MCTs, exercise, and omega-3 supplementation.

The research is still evolving, but Dr. Cunnane argues that we already know enough about metabolic health to start taking modifiable dementia risk factors more seriously.

👉 Want to stay up to date with the latest research on metabolic health and metabolic psychiatry? Sign up for our newsletter to stay informed: metabolicmind.org/about-us/newsletter/

🔎 Have questions about how to apply metabolic therapies effectively? Submit them at metabolicmind.org/questions to be featured in a future Metabolic Mailbag episode.

#AlzheimersDisease #MetabolicMind #KetogenicTherapy

Expert Featured:

Dr. Stephen Cunnane

• https://recherche-cerveau-sherbrooke.ca/en/laboratory-team/

Resources Mentioned:

• https://event.fourwaves.com/kc-5

Free CME Clinician Trainings:

Are you a clinician who would like to learn more about the science behind these therapies and how to implement them in practice? Earn CME with our growing library of courses from some of the top experts in the field including Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Matthew Bernstein, Dr. Mariela Glandt, Dr. Deanna Kelly, Dr. Julie Milder, Dr. Zoltan Sarnyai, and Dr. Bret Scher with more coming soon.

Our courses have been made FREE by grants from Baszucki Group, so we can spread these powerful therapies as widely as possible. Earn CME/CNE credits:

https://www.metabolicmind.org/for-clinicians/trainings-courses/?utm_medium=organic-social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=cme-yt

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:

Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

College can be one of the most exciting times of your life, but it can also put enormous pressure on a brain that's still developing.

Psychiatrist Dr. Georgia Ede spent 12 years working as an on-campus psychiatrist at Harvard University and Smith College. In this video, she explains why college can be such a vulnerable time for mental health and how sleep, nutrition, alcohol, smoking, vaping, and other everyday habits may affect brain metabolism and resilience.

Dr. Ede explores the role of oxidative stress, why blood sugar and insulin matter for the brain, and how metabolic health can influence mood, concentration, memory, and the ability to cope with stress.

She shares practical strategies students can use on campus, including:

• Choosing whole foods and reducing refined carbohydrates
• Making better dining hall and snack choices
• Prioritizing sleep and regular exercise
• Limiting alcohol, smoking, and vaping
• Using a continuous glucose monitor to better understand individual responses to carbohydrates
• When a very low-carbohydrate or ketogenic diet may be worth exploring for mental health concerns
• Why reaching out for professional support is essential when college starts to feel overwhelming

Any dietary changes, especially ketogenic therapy, should be explored with a qualified clinician. This is particularly important for students taking psychiatric medications or anyone with a history of eating disorders or disordered eating.

Taken together, these ideas show how metabolic health may support learning and relationships while students manage the everyday pressures of campus life.

👉 Looking for more back-to-school mental health resources for college students? Explore our Back to School blog for stories, science, and practical support for navigating campus life with mental health in mind: metabolicmind.org/resources/library/blog/stories/back-to-school-metabolic-mental-health-guide/

#MetabolicMind #KetogenicTherapy #BackToSchool

Expert:

Dr. Georgia Ede, MD- Author, Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiaedemd/
• https://x.com/GeorgiaEdeMD
• https://www.instagram.com/georgiaedemd/

Free CME Clinician Trainings:

Are you a clinician who would like to learn more about the science behind these therapies and how to implement them in practice? Earn CME with our growing library of courses from some of the top experts in the field including Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Matthew Bernstein, Dr. Mariela Glandt, Dr. Deanna Kelly, Dr. Julie Milder, Dr. Zoltan Sarnyai, and Dr. Bret Scher with more coming soon.

Our courses have been made FREE by grants from Baszucki Group, so we can spread these powerful therapies as widely as possible. Earn CME/CNE credits:

https://www.metabolicmind.org/for-clinicians/trainings-courses/?utm_medium=organic-social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=cme-yt

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:

Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

Does reducing carbohydrates improve metabolic health beyond what can be explained by weight loss alone?

Dr. Bret Scher breaks down a new randomized controlled trial published in Cell Metabolism that compared three diets in people with prediabetes and fatty liver disease: a ketogenic diet, a higher-carbohydrate Mediterranean diet, and a very low-fat, plant-forward diet.

One challenge with ketogenic diet research is that participants often lose more weight than those in comparison groups, making it difficult to separate the effects of carbohydrate reduction from those of weight loss itself.

In this trial, researchers provided all of the meals, and participants achieved greater than 95% dietary compliance. Importantly, all three groups ultimately lost the same 10% of their body weight. That gave researchers an unusual opportunity to compare metabolic outcomes across the three diets without differences in weight loss muddying the picture.

And even with weight loss held constant, the outcomes differed.

The ketogenic group reduced liver fat by 67%, compared with 45% in the Mediterranean and plant-forward groups, and saw larger improvements in liver insulin sensitivity. Prediabetes remission also occurred in 50% of the ketogenic group, compared with 29% of the Mediterranean group and 7% of the low-fat, plant-forward group.

Dr. Scher covers:

• Why similar weight loss across the three groups makes this trial especially informative
• How all three diets affected skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity
• Why liver insulin sensitivity improved more with the ketogenic diet
• The differences in liver fat reduction between the three groups
• Prediabetes remission rates across each dietary approach
• How carbohydrate reduction may suppress liver fat production
• Changes in the glucagon-to-insulin ratio on ketogenic therapy
• What the study found about saturated fat, LDL cholesterol, and ApoB
• Improvements in triglycerides, VLDL, and lipoprotein insulin resistance
• The study’s limitations, including its small size and 4- to 5-month duration

For people with fatty liver disease or prediabetes, this study adds evidence that carbohydrate reduction may produce metabolic benefits beyond those achieved through weight loss alone.

🔎 Have questions about how to apply metabolic therapies effectively? Submit them at metabolicmind.org/questions to be featured in a future Metabolic Mailbag episode.

#MetabolicMind #KetogenicTherapy #FoodAsMedicine

Expert Featured:

Bret Scher, MD - Baszucki Group Medical Director & Host of the Metabolic Mind Podcast

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/bret-scher-08baaa102/
• https://www.instagram.com/drscher858/?hl=en
• https://x.com/bschermd

Resources Mentioned:

Effect of diet macronutrient content on the cardiometabolic response to weight loss: A randomized clinical trial

linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1550413126002937

Free CME Clinician Trainings:

Are you a clinician who would like to learn more about the science behind these therapies and how to implement them in practice? Earn CME with our growing library of courses from some of the top experts in the field including Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Matthew Bernstein, Dr. Mariela Glandt, Dr. Deanna Kelly, Dr. Julie Milder, Dr. Zoltan Sarnyai, and Dr. Bret Scher with more coming soon.

Our courses have been made FREE by grants from Baszucki Group, so we can spread these powerful therapies as widely as possible. Earn CME/CNE credits:

https://www.metabolicmind.org/for-clinicians/trainings-courses/?utm_medium=organic-social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=cme-yt

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:

Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice or establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications. In addition, it is important to note that people may respond differently to ketosis, and there isn't one recognized universal response.

For many women, the wellness strategies that carried them through their 20s and 30s can start to backfire in perimenopause. Changes in hormones, muscle mass, insulin sensitivity, sleep, and stress can make midlife feel like a completely different metabolic landscape.

In this episode of Metabolic Mind, Dr. Bret Scher speaks with nurse practitioner Cynthia Thurlow about why perimenopause can act like a metabolic stress test. They explore how midlife can change the way women respond to carbohydrates, fasting, exercise, meal timing, and other strategies they may have relied on for years.

As Women’s Health Month brings more attention to the health challenges women face across different stages of life, this conversation focuses on one that is still too often misunderstood: the metabolic transition through perimenopause and menopause.

They cover:

• How perimenopause can affect insulin sensitivity and body composition
• Why preserving muscle becomes increasingly important in midlife
• The roles of sleep, stress, protein, meal timing, and strength training
• How intermittent fasting may need to change across the menstrual cycle and menopause
• When ketosis may help with metabolic symptoms, and why some women may benefit from more dietary flexibility
• How PMDD and severe PMS may relate to the perimenopause transition
• Where hormone replacement therapy may fit into an individualized plan
• The potential role of GLP-1 medications alongside lifestyle changes
• Why fiber and the gut microbiome deserve more attention during menopause
• Simple steps women can take now, including walking after meals, improving sleep, and staying well hydrated

Cynthia’s message is that while midlife can bring meaningful metabolic and hormonal changes, with the right support, there are practical ways to adjust nutrition, exercise, sleep, and other strategies to support overall health and wellbeing.

👉 Want to stay up to date with the latest research on metabolic health and metabolic psychiatry? Sign up for our newsletter to stay informed: metabolicmind.org/about-us/newsletter/

🔎 Have questions about how to apply metabolic therapies effectively? Submit them at metabolicmind.org/questions to be featured in a future Metabolic Mailbag episode.

#Menopause #Perimenopause #MetabolicMind #KetogenicTherapy #WomensHealth

Expert Featured:

Cynthia Thurlow, NP

• https://www.cynthiathurlow.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/cynthia_thurlow_/?hl=en
• https://www.youtube.com/cynthiathurlow
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-thurlow/
• https://x.com/_CynthiaThurlow
• https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/everyday-wellness-midlife-hormones-menopause-and/id1435214303
• https://cynthiathurlownp.substack.com/

Free CME Clinician Trainings:

Are you a clinician who would like to learn more about the science behind these therapies and how to implement them in practice? Earn CME with our growing library of courses from some of the top experts in the field including Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Matthew Bernstein, Dr. Mariela Glandt, Dr. Deanna Kelly, Dr. Julie Milder, Dr. Zoltan Sarnyai, and Dr. Bret Scher with more coming soon.

Our courses have been made FREE by grants from Baszucki Group, so we can spread these powerful therapies as widely as possible. Earn CME/CNE credits:

https://www.metabolicmind.org/for-clinicians/trainings-courses/?utm_medium=organic-social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=cme-yt

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:

Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

Hannah Warren spent years living with severe bipolar I disorder before discovering metabolic therapies in 2021. Today, Hannah has been in remission for more than five years, is no longer taking psychiatric medication, and works as Metabolic Mind’s Community Engagement & Advocacy Manager, helping others understand the emerging field of metabolic psychiatry.

In this course module, created as part of Nutrition Network’s broader low-carb course for vegetarians, Hannah combines her lived experience with practical guidance for using vegetarian and vegan ketogenic approaches to support metabolic and mental health.

She explains how ketogenic therapy differs from general healthy eating, how nutritional ketosis changes the fuels available to the brain, and why that shift is being studied in metabolic psychiatry

She also takes a detailed look at the practical side of vegetarian and vegan ketogenic therapy, including:

• How to structure a meat-free ketogenic diet while maintaining ketosis
• Why ketone testing is especially important for therapeutic use
• How to think about carb limits, protein targets, and complete protein sources
• Vegetarian and vegan sources of fat and omega-3s
• Key micronutrients and supplements to monitor
• Medication interactions and the importance of clinical supervision
• How to use lab testing to monitor metabolic health
• Common foods and meals that can make plant-based keto satisfying and sustainable
• Positive framing and behavior-change strategies that can support planning and long-term adherence

Hannah also shares the mistakes she made when first starting ketogenic therapy, the strategies that helped her refine her approach, and why she believes people should be able to pursue metabolic treatment options without giving up deeply held dietary values.

👉 Learn more about the benefits and implementation strategies for vegetarian low-carb diets with the full Nutrition Network course: courses.nutrition-network.org/p/low-carb-for-vegetarians

🔎 Have questions about how to apply metabolic therapies effectively? Submit them at metabolicmind.org/questions to be featured in a future Metabolic Mailbag episode.

#MetabolicMind #KetogenicTherapy #Vegetarianketo

Expert Featured:

Hannah Warren

• https://www.metabolicmind.org/team/hannah-warren/
• https://x.com/Radiantbeasting
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-warrenjhoole/
• https://www.radiantbeast.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/radiant_beasting

Resources Mentioned:

• https://courses.nutrition-network.org/p/low-carb-for-vegetarians

Free CME Clinician Trainings:

Are you a clinician who would like to learn more about the science behind these therapies and how to implement them in practice? Earn CME with our growing library of courses from some of the top experts in the field including Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Matthew Bernstein, Dr. Mariela Glandt, Dr. Deanna Kelly, Dr. Julie Milder, Dr. Zoltan Sarnyai, and Dr. Bret Scher with more coming soon.

Our courses have been made FREE by grants from Baszucki Group, so we can spread these powerful therapies as widely as possible. Earn CME/CNE credits:

https://www.metabolicmind.org/for-clinicians/trainings-courses/?utm_medium=organic-social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=cme-yt

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:

Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

How can clinicians become more comfortable using ketogenic therapy in mental health care? In this episode of Metabolic Mind, Dr. Bret Scher speaks with Dr. Deanna Kelly about Live It, Launch It!, a training program designed to help clinicians learn ketogenic therapy by experiencing it themselves.

Dr. Kelly explains why evidence-based treatments can still take years to reach everyday clinical practice, especially when providers don't feel confident using them. To address that gap, her team recruited clinicians for a program that combined ketogenic therapy education with four weeks of personally following a ketogenic diet and published it as a study: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1913325/full

Clinicians started with very low confidence in their ability to use ketogenic therapy. With education alone, those scores improved substantially, and actually living the diet pushed confidence even higher. Participants also reported improvements in mental and physical health, along with an average weight loss of about five pounds.

They cover:

• Why clinician confidence can limit adoption of new treatments
• How Live It, Launch It! was designed
• Why experiential learning added more than education alone
• How clinicians learned to troubleshoot ketosis in real time
• What participants reported about mood, brain fog, anxiety, and physical health
• Why group support helped clinicians understand how differently people respond
• What side effects and challenges came up during the four weeks
• How this model could be scaled across residency programs and health systems
• Why the next step is measuring whether clinicians actually use ketogenic therapy more often with patients

For Dr. Kelly, the goal is to help clinicians move from knowing about ketogenic therapy to feeling prepared to discuss it and use it in practice as the evidence continues to grow.

📖 Want to learn more about metabolic psychiatry? Check out our blog “Metabolic Psychiatry: A New Lens on Mental Health” to explore how researchers and clinicians are examining the connection between metabolism and mental health: metabolicmind.org/resources/library/blog/stories/metabolic-psychiatry-a-new-lens-on-mental-health/

🔎 Have questions about how to apply metabolic therapies effectively? Submit them at metabolicmind.org/questions to be featured in a future Metabolic Mailbag episode.

#KetogenicTherapy #MetabolicPsychiatry #MetabolicMind #LiveItLaunchIt

Expert Featured:

Dr. Deanna L. Kelly PharmD, BCPP

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanna-l-kelly-pharmd-bcpp-3a8b299b/
• https://www.instagram.com/dr.deanna.kelly/
• https://x.com/ProfDeannaK

Resources Mentioned:

• https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1913325/full

Free CME Clinician Trainings:

Are you a clinician who would like to learn more about the science behind these therapies and how to implement them in practice? Earn CME with our growing library of courses from some of the top experts in the field including Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Matthew Bernstein, Dr. Mariela Glandt, Dr. Deanna Kelly, Dr. Julie Milder, Dr. Zoltan Sarnyai, and Dr. Bret Scher with more coming soon.

Our courses have been made FREE by grants from Baszucki Group, so we can spread these powerful therapies as widely as possible. Earn CME/CNE credits:

https://www.metabolicmind.org/for-clinicians/trainings-courses/?utm_medium=organic-social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=cme-yt

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:

Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

How should we think about LDL and ApoB, and how much metabolic health changes the cardiovascular risk picture?

In this episode of Metabolic Mind, Dr. Bret Scher speaks with vascular surgeon Dr. Lily Johnston about cholesterol and plaque formation, along with the need to personalize cardiovascular prevention.

👉 Download our Make Sense of Your Cholesterol guide: https://metmind.co/cholesterol-listeners

Dr. Johnston brings a unique perspective as both a vascular surgeon who treats advanced blood vessel disease and a physician focused on cardiometabolic prevention. She discusses why ApoB and LDL can play a role in atherosclerosis, while also emphasizing that vascular disease is shaped by many factors, including insulin resistance, diabetes, blood pressure, inflammation, smoking history, fitness, sleep, stress, social connection, and personal goals.

They cover:

• What vascular surgeons treat and why atherosclerosis affects blood vessels throughout the body
• Why prevention starts long before surgery becomes necessary
• How LDL and ApoB fit within a broader cardiovascular risk assessment
• Why metabolic health and insulin resistance deserve more attention
• How diet, medications, and imaging can help personalize risk assessment
• Why lowering ApoB may matter more for some patients than others
• What we still need to learn about lean mass hyper-responders
• Why curiosity and humility are essential in cholesterol research
• How patients can ask better questions when the conversation focuses only on LDL

This interview offers a thoughtful look at LDL, ApoB, metabolic health, and cardiovascular prevention, with a focus on better conversations between patients and clinicians.

🔎 Have questions about how to apply metabolic therapies effectively? Submit them at metabolicmind.org/questions to be featured in a future Metabolic Mailbag episode.

#LDL #ApoB #MetabolicMind #CardiovascularHealth

Expert Featured:

Dr Lily Johnston

• https://www.instagram.com/lilyjohnstonmd/
• https://www.tiktok.com/@lilyjohnstonmd
• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMaFSJtYbK8LQ7AyV31TrgQ
• https://x.com/lilyej

Free CME Clinician Trainings:

Are you a clinician who would like to learn more about the science behind these therapies and how to implement them in practice? Earn CME with our growing library of courses from some of the top experts in the field including Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Matthew Bernstein, Dr. Mariela Glandt, Dr. Deanna Kelly, Dr. Julie Milder, Dr. Zoltan Sarnyai, and Dr. Bret Scher with more coming soon.

Our courses have been made FREE by grants from Baszucki Group, so we can spread these powerful therapies as widely as possible. Earn CME/CNE credits:

https://www.metabolicmind.org/for-clinicians/trainings-courses/?utm_medium=organic-social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=cme-yt

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:

Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

Is saturated fat really the villain it’s been made out to be? Or has decades of poor research and dietary policy misled us?

In this video, Dr. Bret Scher dives into the controversy surrounding RFK Jr.'s call to remove the cap on saturated fat, and the Wall Street Journal’s misleading take on it.

We explore:

✅ Why saturated fat doesn’t just mean pizza and ice cream

✅ The science behind whole foods vs. processed foods

✅ How carbs, fats, and metabolic health interact

✅ What the evidence really says about saturated fat and heart disease

✅ Why individualized, whole-food diets matter

Removing the cap on saturated fat isn’t about giving fat a health halo, it's about making room for nutrient-dense, metabolically supportive diets.

👉Subscribe to Metabolic Mind for more real conversations about metabolic health, metabolic psychiatry, and mental health: https://www.youtube.com/@metabolicmind.

#MetabolicMind #KetogenicTherapy #FoodAsMedicine #SaturatedFat

Expert Featured:

Dr. Bret Scher

• Baszucki Group Medical Director
• https://x.com/bschermd

Free CME Clinician Trainings:

Are you a clinician who would like to learn more about the science behind these therapies and how to implement them in practice? Earn CME with our growing library of courses from some of the top experts in the field including Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Matthew Bernstein and Dr. Bret Scher with more coming soon.

Our courses have been made FREE by grants from Baszucki Group, so we can spread these powerful therapies as widely as possible. Earn CME/CNE credits:

https://www.metabolicmind.org/for-clinicians/trainings-courses/?utm_medium=organic-social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=cme-yt

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:

Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

Should LDL be treated? In this episode of Metabolic Mind, Dr. Bret Scher explains why the better question is who may benefit from LDL lowering, how aggressively it should be treated, and what outcomes matter most to the individual patient.

👉 Get our free 11-page Cholesterol Guide to better understand your lipid panel and prepare for a conversation with your clinician: https://metmind.co/cholesterol-listeners

Dr. Scher reviews two major trials that studied aggressive LDL lowering in very different populations. VESALIUS-CV looked at high-risk patients with serious vascular disease and found that adding a PCSK9 inhibitor reduced both cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. STAREE studied older adults without known cardiovascular disease and found fewer cardiac events with statin therapy, while overall survival and hospitalizations did not change. Disability-free survival also showed no difference

He covers:

• Why LDL treatment depends on the person, not just the number
• What VESALIUS-CV found in high-risk patients with vascular disease
• Why STAREE tells a different story in older adults without known heart disease
• The difference between reducing cardiac events and extending life
• Why vascular disease should shape how aggressively LDL is treated
• How age, frailty, cognition, cancer risk, and independence affect the risk-benefit conversation
• Why LDL may need a different discussion for someone using ketogenic therapy
• How metabolic health, insulin resistance, and direct evidence of vascular disease fit into the decision

These trials illustrate why LDL treatment should be individualized with a healthcare provider. For some patients, aggressive lowering may save lives. For others, the benefits may be smaller or less connected to the outcomes they care about most.

🔎 Have questions about how to apply metabolic therapies effectively? Submit them at metabolicmind.org/questions to be featured in a future Metabolic Mailbag episode.

#LDL #CardiovascularHealth #MetabolicMind #MetabolicHealth

Expert Featured:

Bret Scher, MD - Baszucki Group Medical Director & Host of the Metabolic Mind Podcast

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/bret-scher-08baaa102/
• https://www.instagram.com/drscher858/?hl=en
• https://x.com/bschermd

Resources Mentioned:

Effects of Evolocumab on Mortality Outcomes in Patients Without Previous Myocardial Infarction or Stroke: A Prespecified Analysis of the VESALIUS-CV Randomized Clinical Trial

• https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.126.082436

Atorvastatin, Cardiovascular Events, and Disability-free Survival in Older Adults

• https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2607314

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzWI83-NWCL5V7N6MjywX5QbkVn9Svi3q&si=oKVT518X1u0rUcMk

Free CME Clinician Trainings:

Are you a clinician who would like to learn more about the science behind these therapies and how to implement them in practice? Earn CME with our growing library of courses from some of the top experts in the field including Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Matthew Bernstein, Dr. Mariela Glandt, Dr. Deanna Kelly, Dr. Julie Milder, Dr. Zoltan Sarnyai, and Dr. Bret Scher with more coming soon.

Our courses have been made FREE by grants from Baszucki Group, so we can spread these powerful therapies as widely as possible. Earn CME/CNE credits:

https://www.metabolicmind.org/for-clinicians/trainings-courses/?utm_medium=organic-social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=cme-yt

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:

Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

Is it possible to follow a diet that’s both vegan and keto? And can a diet like that be used as part of a care plan for bipolar disorder? In this episode of Metabolic Mind, Dr. Bret Scher speaks with author and advocate Dyane Harwood about how she uses a vegan ketogenic diet as part of her treatment for postpartum bipolar disorder.

Dyane shares how she first discovered vegan keto, why she started tracking ketones and net carbs, and what she eats in a typical day, from her vegan keto smoothie to tofu, avocado, nut butter, and carefully chosen supplements. She also discusses the practical challenges of vegan keto, including protein intake, B12, omega-3s, magnesium, vitamin D3, eating out, social pressure, and finding a clinical team that understands metabolic psychiatry.

They cover:

• How Dyane discovered vegan keto for bipolar disorder
• Why ketosis became more important to her than dietary labels
• What a typical vegan keto day looks like
• How changing her protein intake affected her ketone levels
• Why tracking net carbs, glucose, and ketones helped her personalize the diet
• The supplements she uses, including B12, DHA/EPA, magnesium, vitamin D3, and acetyl-L-carnitine
• What Dyane reports about changes in her energy, activity level, cravings, and mood
• Why support, resources, and mentorship can make the process easier
• How she thinks about progress, flexibility, and improving over time

Dyane’s experience offers a personal example of how a vegan ketogenic diet can fit within a broader treatment plan. Her approach is practical and grounded in the idea that progress can start before everything feels perfect.

👉 Learn more about vegan and vegetarian ketogenic approaches on our blog: Is Vegetarian or Vegan Ketogenic Therapy Possible?

🔎 Have questions about how to apply metabolic therapies effectively? Submit them at metabolicmind.org/questions to be featured in a future Metabolic Mailbag episode.

#VeganKeto #BipolarDisorder #MetabolicPsychiatry #MetabolicMind

Expert Featured:

Dyane Harwood

• https://dyane92.wixsite.com/dyaneharwood
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/dyane-harwood-b41a741b8/
• https://www.instagram.com/dyaneharwood/

Free CME Clinician Trainings:

Are you a clinician who would like to learn more about the science behind these therapies and how to implement them in practice? Earn CME with our growing library of courses from some of the top experts in the field including Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Matthew Bernstein, Dr. Mariela Glandt, Dr. Deanna Kelly, Dr. Julie Milder, Dr. Zoltan Sarnyai, and Dr. Bret Scher with more coming soon.

Our courses have been made FREE by grants from Baszucki Group, so we can spread these powerful therapies as widely as possible. Earn CME/CNE credits:

https://www.metabolicmind.org/for-clinicians/trainings-courses/?utm_medium=organic-social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=cme-yt

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:

Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.