{"id":4020,"date":"2026-02-05T09:59:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T08:59:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.infotekps.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/05\/can-the-keto-diet-help-treat-depression\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T09:59:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T08:59:19","slug":"can-the-keto-diet-help-treat-depression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.infotekps.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/05\/can-the-keto-diet-help-treat-depression\/","title":{"rendered":"Can the Keto Diet Help Treat Depression?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>A recent clinical trial suggests the high-fat, low-carb keto diet may offer modest but statistically significant improvements in treatment-resistant depression.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629ebf8fdcb-75c8-41fd-866d-35ca1929a2f2 \u201cAround 1 in 3 patients with depression don\u2019t respond fully to antidepressants ,\u201d says the lead study author Min Gao, PhD , an epidemiologist and a health behavior scientist at the University at Oxford in England. \u201cAt the same time, there\u2019s been growing public interest in whether diet, especially the ketogenic diet \u2014 a diet high in healthy fat but low in carbohydrate \u2014 could help mental health.\u201d Despite online testimonials about the depression-fighting effects of the keto diet, Dr. Gao says there\u2019s been a lack of high-quality research to support such claims. \u201cWe wanted to study this carefully to understand whether there is a real benefit,\u201d she says. Here\u2019s what she and her team discovered. Study Found Real but Modest Benefits From the Keto Diet Published in JAMA Psychiatry , the study followed 88 participants who were age 42 on average and had been diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression. Researchers randomly assigned study subjects to follow one of two diets for six weeks. One group ate prepared foods that followed the keto diet, with less than 30 grams (g) of carbohydrates a day; the other \u201ccontrol\u201d group followed a plant-forward eating plan. The researchers tracked the participants on the PHQ-9 Score, which is a 0 to 27 point scale used by doctors to measure the severity of depression. The scientists took measurements at baseline, after six weeks on the diet, and after 12 weeks. By the end of the trial, participants who followed the keto diet had a 10.5 point drop in their PHQ-9 Score, while those who followed the control diet had an 8.3 point drop. \u201cOur study shows that when a ketogenic diet is tested carefully, any benefit appears to be real but modest \u2014 and more difficult to sustain than some claims suggest,\u201d Gao says. Clinical Trial Adds to Existing Data on the Keto Diet for Depression There has been some data to suggest a keto diet may be helpful for depression, although most is preliminary. A case series published in Frontiers in Nutrition in 2024 followed three patients with major depression and generalized anxiety disorder on a keto diet. Two patients saw their depression symptoms disappear within seven weeks on the diet.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976298c6ce449-1abd-48c4-b7be-71a1a806e8bd A small study of college students published in 2025 found a link between those who followed a keto diet for 10 weeks and a 70 percent decrease in symptoms of depression . A pilot study done in 2025 by Stanford researchers determined that the keto diet had a positive impact on other mental health conditions, specifically bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629c4e8cff2-6f6b-49f5-a3ac-ecf8cb68eb57e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976292bf99735-8a55-433f-8baa-365dfd35bff3 The new study stands out for its protocol, known for producing high-quality conclusions. \u201cThis is one of the first well-controlled, randomized clinical trials testing a ketogenic diet in the treatment of treatment-resistant depression,\u201d says Amir Afkhami, MD, PhD , a professor and the vice chair of the George Washington University department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. \u201cA lot of the prior work on depression and diet has been observational, which makes it hard to separate true dietary effects from the effects of weight loss and the expectation that you will get better once you\u2019ve enrolled in a trial,\u201d Dr. Afkhami says. Why Could the Keto Diet Help Ease Depression? A keto diet supports the production of ketones, chemical compounds produced in the body from fat when there isn\u2019t enough glucose (blood sugar) to burn for energy, explains Gail Saltz, MD , a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City and the host of the How Can I Help? podcast. These may impact several pathways in the body that are linked to mood disorders, easing symptoms, she says. The ketones may also spark a series of changes that are anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective, stabilizing symptoms, according to Dr. Saltz. There may also be a communal feeling when someone follows a keto diet that helps support mood, suggests Aaron P. Brinen, PsyD , an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. \u201cPeople who are really into the keto diet feel good at the success of keeping their ketones at the level they\u2019re supposed to, and enjoy finding community in other people who do this,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019re engaging in activities that provide purpose, pleasure, and socialization \u2014 these are all core treatments for depression.\u201d Gao says there are several possible explanations for the keto diet\u2019s impact on depression \u2014 and none are certain at this point. \u201cSome research suggests changes in brain energy use, inflammation, gut microbiome, or metabolism could play a role,\u201d she says. \u201cOur team is currently looking into this.\u201d Should You Try the Keto Diet for Depression? Doctors say it\u2019s too early to prescribe a keto diet for treatment-resistant depression. \u201cThis is not a simple intervention \u2014 there\u2019s a lot to following the keto diet,\u201d Dr. Brinen says. \u201cThe benefit is also not large.\u201d Saltz also doesn\u2019t recommend trying the keto diet for depression just yet. \u201cNo one in psychiatry is ready to recommend this as a research-backed method of treatment for treatment-resistant depression,\u201d she says. Gao agrees. \u201cIt\u2019s early evidence, not a new recommendation,\u201d she says. \u201cWhile there may be some potential benefit, the diet is difficult to follow, and we don\u2019t yet know enough about its long-term safety and who is most likely to benefit. Anyone considering dietary changes for mental health should discuss this with their doctor or mental health professional.\u201d<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A recent clinical trial suggests the high-fat, low-carb keto diet may offer modest but statistically significant improvements in treatment-resistant depression.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629ebf8fdcb-75c8-41fd-866d-35ca1929a2f2 &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[25],"class_list":["post-4020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","tag-health"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Can the Keto Diet Help Treat Depression? - Your Daily News Dose of the World\u2019s Hottest Headlines<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.infotekps.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/05\/can-the-keto-diet-help-treat-depression\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can the Keto Diet Help Treat Depression? 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