This study is the first randomized controlled trial to publish results of the effects of a ketogenic diet in adults living with schizophrenia-spectrum and bipolar disorders. The findings demonstrate feasibility, meaningful metabolic improvements, and a signal of psychiatric symptom improvement, while underscoring the need for longer, more rigorous controlled trials.

This is the first pilot trial to evaluate ketogenic therapy as an intervention for anorexia nervosa, a condition with one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric disorder and limited effective biological treatments. Conducted in a predominantly virtual, supervised outpatient setting, the trial demonstrated high adherence, no significant change in weight, and meaningful improvements in eating disorder and depressive symptoms, suggesting that ketogenic therapy is a feasible adjunctive intervention when delivered with specialized clinical support.

The study is the first in the history of psychiatric research to test a ketogenic diet as a treatment for major depressive disorder. These promising preliminary results in a young adult population demonstrate improvements in psychiatric and metabolic health.

The study is the first to use neuroimaging to demonstrate that a ketogenic diet may improve brain metabolism in individuals with a bipolar disorder diagnosis. Increased ketone levels were correlated with participants’ improvements in mood, energy, impulsivity, and anxiety, with some describing the intervention as life-changing.

Dr. Shebani Sethi’s 4-month clinical trial at Stanford of ketogenic diet for serious mental illness showed promising preliminary results indicating remission of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in participants who adhered to the diet, as well as reversal of metabolic syndrome for those with the diagnosis.