March 25, 2024

Why Keto for Mental Health May Not Be Working for You - with Dr. Bret Scher

8 minutes

Ketogenic therapy can be a powerful intervention for many people with mental illness, including those with serious conditions like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and major depression. Initial data indicates that individual response to ketogenic therapy for mental health may vary. Research is ongoing and needs to further investigate underlying mechanisms and how metabolism impacts brain function in individual patients.

While keto may not be an effective treatment for everyone, there are a number of ways patients can troubleshoot their ketogenic therapy strategy before deciding this treatment option doesn’t work for them. In this practical video, Dr. Bret Scher shares seven common reasons why ketogenic therapy may not be yielding results:

- Ketone levels might not be high enough

- The timeframe may not be long enough–for some patients, it can take up to 3-4 months to see optimum results

All of these factors can also impair results:

- Vitamin & nutrient deficiencies

- Concurrent medical conditions

- Abusing drugs and alcohol

- Some medications make it harder to get into ketosis

- Other lifestyle factors such as poor sleep or too much stress

It is important to note that ketogenic therapy is more than simply following a keto diet. We recommend that anyone attempting to use a keto diet to treat a mental health condition work with a trained clinician.

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/

More helpful resources related to this episode:

What is the difference between a keto diet and ketogenic therapy? - with Dr. Bret Scher: https://youtu.be/BK99A_bhn6Y

Labs to Check Before Starting Ketosis for Mental Health: https://youtu.be/tSkOw3l8OoQ

Find helpful resources, like how to find a clinician and the labs recommended for ketogenic therapy on this page of our website: https://www.metabolicmind.org/families-and-peers

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.

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By Bret Scher

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