Keto diet may ease symptoms of depression - new evidence

The keto diet may be able to alleviate symptoms of depression, HealthDay News reports, citing a new study published in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

According to a pilot project conducted at Ohio State University, a group of students suffering from clinical depression had an average 69-71% improvement in symptoms after 10 weeks on a keto diet.

"There are so many people suffering from depression right now, and it's especially important for us to find affordable solutions. This study is a potential step forward," says the paper's lead author Jeff Volek, a professor of humanities at The Ohio State University.

What is a keto diet?
The ketogenic diet involves drastically limiting carbohydrates (less than 50 grams per day) while increasing fat intake and moderating protein. This causes the body to switch from using glucose to burning fat, resulting in the production of ketones, molecules that can serve as alternative fuel for the brain.

How the study was conducted
Twenty-four students with a formal diagnosis of major depressive disorder took part in the experiment , with 16 of them completing the programme to the end. All underwent a detailed 2.5-hour interview before starting and continued to assess their symptoms weekly using standardised questionnaires.

During the experiment, participants reached a state of ketosis 73% of the time (confirmed by blood tests). After three months:

• Subjective assessments of depression improved by 69%

• Psychologists recorded an improvement in 71% of cases

• Average weight loss was 5kg and over 2% fat loss
  At the same time, cholesterol levels remained without significant change.

"The effects of the keto diet surpassed those typically seen after medication or behavioural treatment over the same time period," notes psychiatrist Ryan Patel.

Why it might work
Scientists speculate that ketosis may alter levels of certain proteins and neurochemicals in the brain that are linked to depressive states. However, they emphasise: the study did not include a control group - students who were not on a keto diet. Which means they can't say for sure that it was the diet that caused the improvement.

"These are encouraging data, but larger randomised trials are needed for scientific validity," says Jennifer Chivens, professor of clinical psychology.

It is also important to take individual preferences into account: participants were explained the diet in detail and menus were tailored to their tastes to increase the chances of adherence.