Diet Could Improve Bipolar Disorder Symptoms Suggests New Study
By Health Correspondent
Patients with bipolar disorder could be improved with a high fat, low carb diet suggests a new study.
Researchers found that maintaining a ketogenic diet over six weeks or more was linked with improvements in mood, energy and anxiety.
Experts say the findings point to an important new direction for research into treatment options for those living with the condition.
They say further studies are now needed to explore any potential effects in a larger group of patients.
The pilot study can be seen here https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-open/article/pilot-study-of-a-ketogenic-diet-in-bipolar-disorder-clinical-metabolic-and-magnetic-resonance-spectroscopy-findings/7AF8E2ECB765A65B03C97F770BB90BC7
The findings suggest that a ketogenic diet may help to mitigate common metabolic health risks associated with bipolar disorder, such as diabetes and heart disease, which can lead to shortened life spans, experts say.
Dr Dr Iain CampbellStudy lead and Baszucki Research Fellow in Metabolic Psychiatry, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, said”
“These results add to a small but growing body of evidence suggesting that a ketogenic diet may be a safe and effective intervention for bipolar disorder, alongside existing medications. There is an urgent need for larger replication studies and carefully designed randomised clinical trials to build on these findings.
Poor metabolic health is a significant problem for people with bipolar disorder, so the study of metabolic treatment approaches is very much welcomed by the patient community.
The report was carried in the University of Edinburgh. For more see https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/bipolar-disorder-symptoms-could-be-improved-by-diet
Energy source
The ketogenic diet involves significantly reducing intake of carbohydrates, like bread and rice. These are replaced by large amounts of fats, found in foods like butter and avocado.
Without carbohydrates the body begins to break down fat to produce chemicals called ketones which can be used for fuel, in a process called ketosis.
The ketogenic diet has been used in the treatment of epilepsy for more than a century and its benefits are now being studied across a range of psychiatric and neurological conditions.
Symptom improvement
The study involved 27 patients with a bipolar disorder diagnosis who followed a ketogenic diet for six to eight weeks.
Some 20 participants completed the study, demonstrating that the intervention was safe and tolerable in this population, experts say. Most patients reached and maintained ketosis during the study, with 91 per cent of their readings testing positive for blood ketones.
Among participants who provided reliable daily ketone and mental health assessments, increased ketone level was correlated with improvements in mood, energy, impulsivity, and anxiety.
Brain imaging also revealed reductions in excitatory neurotransmitters – chemical messengers in the brain – in two key brain areas implicated in bipolar disorder, suggesting a potential mechanism behind a ketogenic diet's effectiveness.
Metabolic benefits
Participants’ metabolic function also improved. Some 19 participants lost an average of 4.2kg (9.3lbs) and saw improvements in body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure.
The findings suggest that a ketogenic diet may help to mitigate common metabolic health risks associated with bipolar disorder, such as diabetes and heart disease, which can lead to shortened life spans, experts say.
The study, funded by the Baszucki Group, is published in the journal BJPsych Open.
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