What is the story about?
Can the Keto diet ‘cure’ schizophrenia? That’s what America’s Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has claimed.
Kennedy Jr, who is currently on a tour across America, is urging people to make healthier eating choices. Kennedy Jr is urging Americans to eat more protein and fats such as steak, cheese and butter, drink whole milk, while avoiding carbohydrates.
But what do we know? What did RFK Jr say? Can the keto diet ‘cure’ schizophrenia? What does science say?
Let’s take a closer look:
First, let’s briefly examine the keto diet.
The keto diet originated in the 19th century. The idea behind the diet was originally to control diabetes. It was also used to treat paediatric drug-resistant epilepsy and reduce seizures in the 1920s.
It relies on consuming a high level of fat, some amount of protein and a low level of carbohydrates. The idea behind the diet is to put the body in a state of ketosis – where it is constantly burning fat for fuel rather than glucose.
Though the diet has shown great success for many in the short term, including weight loss and improvements in total cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure, the impact of such a diet in the long term remains unanswered.
Now let’s look at RFK Jr’s remarks.
“We now know that the things that you eat are driving mental illness in this country,” Kennedy Jr was quoted as saying by The New York Times. He claimed a Harvard doctor “cured schizophrenia using keto diets.”
“There are studies right now that I saw two days ago where people lose their bipolar diagnosis by changing their diet,” he added.
Kennedy was seemingly referring to Dr Christopher Palmer, who in 2019 claimed that “two patients with longstanding schizophrenia who experienced complete remission of symptoms” on the keto diet. He claimed the patients “were able to stop antipsychotic medications and have remained in remission for years now.” Palmer and his colleagues recently claimed the keto diet is a “promising therapeutic approach for schizophrenia.”
These are tall claims which are yet to be scientifically proven.
Dr Paul S Appelbaum, professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, speaking to the newspaper, called Kennedy Jr’s claims “simply misleading”.
Appelbaum, a former president of the American Psychiatric Association, added that there is little evidence that a keto diet can improve schizophrenia symptoms, let alone cure it.
Dr Appelbaum isn’t alone. “There is currently no credible evidence that ketogenic diets cure schizophrenia,” Dr Mark Olfson, another Columbia psychiatry professor, added.
However, there are studies that show that a keto diet could potentially be an addition to ongoing medical treatment.
According to experts, the keto diet can reduce inflammation and other issues in the brain that occur with schizophrenia.
Medscape quoted a small study saying that the keto diet could potentially decrease symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The study comprised 21 adult participants who were overweight and on psychotropic medications.
The study showed that those who remained on the diet at the end of four months witnessed:
However, the authors of the study noted its limitations, including the lack of a control group and a small sample size. They also noted that the study ran for a short period only and the possibility of potential selection bias.
WebMD noted how nearly a dozen women hospitalised for schizophrenia were put on a keto diet for a few weeks. This was done in addition to their treatment for the illness. The women saw massive improvement in their symptoms.
The outlet quoted a 2009 Duke University case as well. It said a 70-year-old woman, who had been suffering from schizophrenia since her teens, was cured just over a week after beginning her keto diet. Over a decade later, the woman was found to be doing well and had also been able to live life normally and without medication.
However, nearly all experts say such stories are few and far between. All of them say larger studies are needed. The claim that a keto diet could cure schizophrenia is far from being true.
With inputs from agencies
Kennedy Jr, who is currently on a tour across America, is urging people to make healthier eating choices. Kennedy Jr is urging Americans to eat more protein and fats such as steak, cheese and butter, drink whole milk, while avoiding carbohydrates.
But what do we know? What did RFK Jr say? Can the keto diet ‘cure’ schizophrenia? What does science say?
Let’s take a closer look:
A brief look at the keto diet
First, let’s briefly examine the keto diet.
The keto diet originated in the 19th century. The idea behind the diet was originally to control diabetes. It was also used to treat paediatric drug-resistant epilepsy and reduce seizures in the 1920s.
It relies on consuming a high level of fat, some amount of protein and a low level of carbohydrates. The idea behind the diet is to put the body in a state of ketosis – where it is constantly burning fat for fuel rather than glucose.
Though the diet has shown great success for many in the short term, including weight loss and improvements in total cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure, the impact of such a diet in the long term remains unanswered.
Now let’s look at RFK Jr’s remarks.
“We now know that the things that you eat are driving mental illness in this country,” Kennedy Jr was quoted as saying by The New York Times. He claimed a Harvard doctor “cured schizophrenia using keto diets.”
“There are studies right now that I saw two days ago where people lose their bipolar diagnosis by changing their diet,” he added.
Representational image.
Kennedy was seemingly referring to Dr Christopher Palmer, who in 2019 claimed that “two patients with longstanding schizophrenia who experienced complete remission of symptoms” on the keto diet. He claimed the patients “were able to stop antipsychotic medications and have remained in remission for years now.” Palmer and his colleagues recently claimed the keto diet is a “promising therapeutic approach for schizophrenia.”
What does science say?
These are tall claims which are yet to be scientifically proven.
Dr Paul S Appelbaum, professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, speaking to the newspaper, called Kennedy Jr’s claims “simply misleading”.
Appelbaum, a former president of the American Psychiatric Association, added that there is little evidence that a keto diet can improve schizophrenia symptoms, let alone cure it.
Dr Appelbaum isn’t alone. “There is currently no credible evidence that ketogenic diets cure schizophrenia,” Dr Mark Olfson, another Columbia psychiatry professor, added.
However, there are studies that show that a keto diet could potentially be an addition to ongoing medical treatment.
Studies that show that a keto diet could potentially be an addition to ongoing medical treatment.
According to experts, the keto diet can reduce inflammation and other issues in the brain that occur with schizophrenia.
Medscape quoted a small study saying that the keto diet could potentially decrease symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The study comprised 21 adult participants who were overweight and on psychotropic medications.
The study showed that those who remained on the diet at the end of four months witnessed:
- 31 per cent reduction in the severity of psychiatric symptoms
- Around 10 per cent weight loss
- Better insulin resistance
However, the authors of the study noted its limitations, including the lack of a control group and a small sample size. They also noted that the study ran for a short period only and the possibility of potential selection bias.
WebMD noted how nearly a dozen women hospitalised for schizophrenia were put on a keto diet for a few weeks. This was done in addition to their treatment for the illness. The women saw massive improvement in their symptoms.
The outlet quoted a 2009 Duke University case as well. It said a 70-year-old woman, who had been suffering from schizophrenia since her teens, was cured just over a week after beginning her keto diet. Over a decade later, the woman was found to be doing well and had also been able to live life normally and without medication.
However, nearly all experts say such stories are few and far between. All of them say larger studies are needed. The claim that a keto diet could cure schizophrenia is far from being true.
With inputs from agencies
