Keto and Low Carb – Stay for the Mental Health Benefits –

On a ketogenic diet, you cut out carbs and switch to more fat and protein. The mental benefits of a keto diet are still unknown, but they may be just as good or better than the physical benefits.

When you go low carb you may think that you are doing it for the ketosis, or you may be doing it for the weight loss. However, it is really both of these things. For those not in the know, “ketosis” is a state in which your body burns fat for fuel instead of carbs. The keto diet has been touted for its low carb benefits, but it is also known for its mental health benefits.

It’s no secret that I’m addicted to bacon and peanut butter, so this keto and low carb experiment is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I lost 15 lbs in the first 10 days and have not felt better in my life. Here’s why:. Read more about why am i so irritable on keto and let us know what you think.

Ole Jorgen Hesse, a Norwegian, began the ketogenic diet in January 2017 with the goal of losing weight. I was shown photographs and films of myself. I had no idea how large I was.

A ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting were used by the 28-year-old computer engineer from Oslo. He ate mostly meat, fish, eggs, nuts, and vegetables, avoiding sweets, fruit, and processed or starchy carbs. Finnbiff, an unique Norwegian reindeer stew, is his favorite meal.

He eats for three hours most days, starting with a modest lunch like B. Beef Sausage and ending with dinner.

It was the correct decision. He said it was simple. Last year, he dropped almost 63 pounds. He seems to be in excellent health.

Another positive improvement was that her bipolar II illness, which was quickly progressing, became considerably more stable and controllable. There are at least four fast transitions from depression to hypomania (moderate elevations in mood and anxiety) in this kind of bipolar illness in a year.

In 2017, Hesse had five more vote cycles, all of which were easier for him.

He claims that his cycles are now considerably smoother. My cheerful emotions have become more regular, and I’m still able to sleep properly and channel my excess energy into something positive. Even when I’m sad, my depression is less severe, and I can still enjoy my interests and friends. Everything is a lot more predictable now, and problems are a lot simpler to address.

In summary, Hesse started the keto diet to reduce weight, but remained for the mental health benefits.

Before and after of Ole

While working in Finland in 2014, he was diagnosed with bipolar II illness, a lesser but still severe type, and started quickly swinging from hypomania to depression nearly weekly. He now believes that he has had this illness for nearly his whole life.

He claims that he has been depressed for as long as he can remember, since he was three or four years old.

He contributes to Reddit’s ketogenic boards on a regular basis, sharing his experiences with others contemplating a ketogenic diet for mental health concerns.

I’m always wary about setting unrealistic expectations. Diet is not a cure for bipolar disorder, which is a chronic disease. However, he claims that diet is an excellent approach to cope with it.

Hesse isn’t the only one who thinks this way. People on a ketogenic diet have reported improvements in anxiety, sadness, bipolar illness, and even schizophrenia, according to comments on Reddit and other social media sites.

Is it possible for the ketogenic diet to help people avoid, lessen, or better manage mental illnesses? Although there have been few human clinical studies, a growing amount of research on ketones’ impact on brain function – as well as a great deal of anecdotal data – indicates that this is feasible.

Poor mental health is becoming a worldwide issue.

According to a large study conducted in 2014, one out of every five individuals had suffered a mental health problem in the previous year, and almost one out of every three people (29%) had done so at some time in their life. Since 2005, depression rates in the United States have risen substantially. Furthermore, depression currently affects over 264 million people globally, making it one of the world’s major causes of disability.

Mentally ill people have a greater risk of physical disease and mortality, and their life expectancy may be shortened by 10 to 30 years. People who suffer from mental illnesses are more likely to develop chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, and their results are poorer.

Dr. Georgia Ede, an American psychiatrist who is interested in the impact of food on brain health, thinks there is a significant connection between the increase in mental disease and the obesity and diabetes epidemics.

Why is the brain distinct from the rest of the body? Low-carb diets don’t always work, according to Dr. Ede, who has his own website, Diagnosis Diet, and has appeared in popular films on mental health and Alzheimer’s illness.

I believe that the decline in global mental health has a lot to do with the decline in the quality of our diet over the past 75 years.

– Georgia Ede, Ph.D.

She believes that the decrease in global mental health has a lot to do with the degradation in the quality of our diet over the last 75 years.

Dr. Ede thinks that excessive intake of refined carbohydrates, such as flour goods, pastries, cereals, fruit juices, and sweets, as well as refined and processed vegetable oils and seeds, are the two major causes of brain problems.

What are our current understandings of these ingredients? In fact, Dr. Ede claims that they know a lot. Inflammation and oxidation may be caused by both refined carbs and processed industrial oils.

The link between vegetable oils and inflammation, on the other hand, is debatable. Linoleic acid, the primary omega-6 fatty acid in vegetable oils, does not promote inflammation, according to a comprehensive analysis of randomized controlled trials (the highest quality data).

Many mental disorders, as well as many physical ailments, are related to inflammation and oxidation, according to Dr. Ede.

She claims that eliminating refined carbs as part of a low-carb or ketogenic diet may help with mental health, diabetes reversal, and weight reduction.

Anecdotes of historical significance

What happened to individuals who went on a low-carb or ketogenic diet after being diagnosed with a severe mental illness? Some stories are motivating, while others have failed to provide substantial, long-term outcomes.

Sheto, 34, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a youngster and has seen the benefits of the ketogenic diet on her brain, stated, “I feel better than ever.” My intellect is functioning better than it has in years, yet my symptoms (voice) have reduced by about 90%. My mind has quieted down and I am able to focus once more.

The website has also been chastised. The bipolar symptoms of Asa, Sharon, and Allison have improved. Tim, Kara, and Tony need help with depression and/or anxiety.

Adam, 37, from Atlantic Canada, however, experimented with both the keto and carnivore diets for more than two years. He called us to tell us about his bad experience. He now believes that both diets aggravated his anxiety and led him to have panic episodes and dizziness on a regular basis.

I only wish someone had mentioned anything like this in all the stories I read: If you don’t feel better after a few weeks, don’t continue, advises Adam.

Clinically, some GPs report improvements in their patients’ mental health as well as their own.

In any event, a low-carb diet seems to help those with bipolar illness, depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

– Ted Nyman, M.D.

Dr. Ted Nyman, a Seattle physician who has been treating his patients with low-carb and keto diets for 20 years, explained how a low-carb diet helped him overcome his obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) almost immediately.

According to Nyman, his patients who followed a low-carb or ketogenic diet improved their mental health significantly over time. Bipolar illness, depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, he claims, all benefit from a low-carb diet.

In 2009, Drs. Eric Westman and Brian Kraft a case study of a 70-year-old woman with lifelong schizophrenia. He was diagnosed when he was 17. Since the age of seven she had daily visual and auditory hallucinations (skeletons that urged her to do something to herself). She also suffered from obesity, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and several other health problems.

The voices and hallucinations had ceased after just eight days on the ketogenic diet. She had been following the ketogenic diet for more than a year at the time of publishing, and her hallucinations had not returned, and she had dropped more than 11 pounds.

Dr. Georgia Ede isn’t surprised by any of these data. Not only has the ketogenic diet helped her overcome her anxiety and despair, but she also receives a lot of feedback on her blog from others who have had similar experiences.

More than 100 individuals have responded to his 2014 piece on low-carb diets and bipolar disorder, and he has received emails from many people who have been diagnosed with mental illness and whose symptoms have improved after following a low-carb or ketogenic diet.

Vicki French commented on Dr. Ede’s March 2018 column on handling psychiatric medicines on a ketogenic diet: My sadness and anxiety have significantly improved since I began the keto diet nearly five months ago. I took a total of five psychotropic medications. I was able to discontinue three medicines with the assistance of my psychiatrist.

Personal tales like this one draw attention to the connection between food and mood, which Dr. Ede claims is impossible to prove scientifically. We’ll have to wait years for science to put these ideas to the test. She said that you have nothing to lose by doing your own tests.

There are two types of fuel that the brain may utilize.

It has long been known that the brain may utilize two kinds of fuel for its energy needs: glucose or ketones, as detailed in a recent study on the usage of ketone bodies in Alzheimer’s disease.

Glucose is generated through the body’s breakdown of carbohydrates, as well as by the liver in a process known as gluconeogenesis (literally: the creation of new glucose). Ketones are produced in the liver as a consequence of the breakdown of fatty acids derived from your food as well as lipids retained in your body.

Even though your brain requires some glucose, your liver will generate all of the glucose you need even if you do not consume carbohydrates. Furthermore, the researchers found that ketones may provide 30-70 percent of the brain’s energy requirements while fasting or following a strict low-carb diet.

Diet, since that’s where brain chemicals originate from in the first place, is the most effective method to alter brain chemistry, in my opinion.

– Georgia Ede, Ph.D.

There are many papers and videos on the ketogenic diet’s benefits for migraines, brain cancer, and traumatic brain injury.

However, two psychiatrists performed a review of the psychiatric research base in 2017 and concluded that, although promising, there was insufficient evidence to endorse it.

Dr. Ede, on the other hand, is more upbeat. My motto is: Nutrition is the most effective method to alter brain chemistry because that’s where the chemicals in the brain originate from, she adds.

While the precise processes of ketones’ impacts on brain health are still unknown, what is known is summarized in a 2018 study published in the journal Neurochemistry: Ketones may enhance energy generation, increase growth factors in nerve cells, improve signal transmission across nerve synapses, and decrease inflammation in the brain when used as a fuel source in the brain.

Clinical research is lacking, but fundamental research is promising.

Clinical trials evaluating the outcomes of various diets in individuals with mental disorder are few. However, two of the more than 3,000 clinical studies on schizophrenia on Clincaltrials.gov, one of which also covers bipolar disorder, look at the effects of a ketogenic diet on this chronic debilitating disease.

In 1965, an author found that carbohydrate eating preceded bouts of hallucinations and paranoia in some of his patients, prompting a clinical study of the ketogenic diet in schizophrenia.

In the research, ten women with schizophrenia followed a ketogenic diet for two weeks while also receiving conventional treatment, including medication and ECT (electroconvulsive therapy), which resulted in a substantial decrease in symptoms. The symptoms reappeared one week after the ladies resumed their regular diet.

Despite this encouraging early finding, few studies have looked into the promising potential of a ketogenic diet for schizophrenia in the last 50 years.

In the case of epilepsy, it has been shown for over a century that increasing the usage of ketones to fuel the brain may enhance some damaged brain processes.

However, the absence of clinical research does not rule out the possibility that a ketogenic diet may have significant brain-health benefits.

In the case of epilepsy, it has been shown for over a century that increasing the usage of ketones to fuel the brain may enhance some damaged brain processes. Recent research has shown that a ketogenic diet may help some individuals with epilepsy manage their seizures, but not all.

Epilepsy and bipolar illness have a lot in common.

Bipolar illness and epilepsy have many features, which has been recognized for over a decade. Both illnesses are cyclical, and both are risk factors for the other. Antiepileptic medicines used to treat epilepsy may be utilized to treat bipolar disorder.

Disruptions in the sodium, potassium, and calcium ion channels that transmit electrical charge between nerve cells are found to be at the root of many mental and neurological disorders, including bipolar disorder, epilepsy, and migraines, according to research.

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), a chemical (neurotransmitter) that transmits impulses to nerve cells, has also been linked to bipolar illness, epilepsy, and schizophrenia.

Bipolar illness and epilepsy have similar pathways, including an imbalance of excitatory and inhibitory neurons that influence brain function, according to a 2017 genetic research.

While the science of nerve signals and genetic changes is very complicated, it seems logical that a ketogenic diet, which has been used effectively for epilepsy for over a century, might also be beneficial for illnesses with certain similarities.

A case study of two women with bipolar II illness who maintained a ketogenic diet for a long time, one for two years and the other for three years, was published in 2013.

Both women had mood stability that was superior to medicine, substantial subjective improvement that was obviously linked to ketosis, and excellent diet tolerance, according to the investigators. They also said that these two instances show that the ketogenic diet may be a long-term alternative for mood stability in people with type 2 bipolar illness.

A word or two about wheat

Wheat items – bread, cereals, pastries, and pasta – may have the biggest effect on mental health issues of all the carbohydrate-rich foods eliminated from a ketogenic diet.

Wheat items – bread, cereals, pastries, and pasta – may have the biggest effect on mental health issues of all the carbohydrate-rich foods eliminated from a ketogenic diet.

Researchers detected a connection between wheat intake and the symptoms of certain individuals with schizophrenia more than 50 years ago.

Another illness linked to mental and neurological problems is celiac disease. Celiac disease is an immunological condition in which gluten from wheat, rye, and barley attacks the lining of the small intestine, causing a variety of health issues.

Non-celiac gluten sensitivity affects six out of every 100 individuals. Although more study is required in this area, it has been claimed that non-celiac gluten sensitivity is linked to mental health issues.

The authors explain what they think is a significant connection between wheat products and mental illness in their controversial 2016 article Bread and Other Eating Agents of Mental Illness. While they recognize that not everyone’s symptoms will go away, they suggest a wheat-free diet as a trial option for anybody suffering from mental illness.

Thankfully, the ketogenic diet is devoid of wheat and gluten.

Medication administration during the ketogenic diet transition

Do you want to enhance your mental health by following a ketogenic diet? If you are not already taking any medicines, you may begin immediately.

Dr. Ede suggests that if you’re taking medication, you engage closely with your psychiatrist or spiritual director. The ketogenic diet produces rapid and significant changes in brain and body chemistry. These adjustments are nearly always good to one’s health, but they may have a substantial influence on drug levels, doses, and side effects, necessitating close medical supervision, she adds.

Dr. Ede offers some excellent recommendations in his March 2018 blog for individuals who are currently using mood-altering or psychiatric drugs and wish to try a ketogenic diet, among other things. B. how to communicate with your psychiatrist or mental health professional, as well as what laboratory tests your doctor should have ordered to monitor your diet reaction.

Most significantly, it identifies certain medications that must be carefully watched, such as antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, and lithium-containing pharmaceuticals.

If you’re on psychiatric medication, it’s crucial to do your research, create a plan, and consult with your doctor before beginning a ketogenic diet.

– Georgia Ede, Ph.D.

Conclusion: If you’re on psychiatric medicines, she recommends educating yourself, planning ahead, and consulting with a mental health expert before starting a ketogenic diet.

Ole Jrgen Hesse used to take virtually little medication for his bipolar illness, but after speaking with his physicians, he now just keeps it on hand as a precaution. Today, due to a keto diet, exercise, and sufficient sleep, he has found that his mood is predictable and steady. In a nutshell, life is wonderful. He spends more time with his buddies than he does with his family. I even met a female with whom I began a successful relationship. In the autumn of 2018, he intends to run the New York City marathon, which will be his first.

This plan is a fantastic tool that you can tailor to your needs. He recommends that individuals wait three to five months before rushing to conclusions.

We’d want to hear about your experience with a ketogenic or low-carb diet for mental health problems.

Ann Mullens is a writer who lives in the United States.

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I’m not one for diets or weight loss. Strangely, though, I’m a huge fan of the ketogenic diet. Why? Because it works. The ketogenic diet is a powerful tool for weight loss, but it’s not the only way to lose weight. The ketogenic diet has many health benefits and it has a lot of weight loss benefits.. Read more about keto diet causes anxiety and let us know what you think.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does keto diet help with mental health?

There is no scientific evidence that keto diet helps with mental health.

Can low carb diet help depression?

Low carb diets can help with depression, but they are not the only thing that will. There are a lot of other factors to consider when it comes to depression and low carb dieting.

Does Low Carb help anxiety?

Low carb diets are a popular way to help with anxiety. They have been shown to reduce the levels of serotonin in the brain which is associated with feelings of anxiety.

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