First randomized controlled trial shows promise of a ketogenic diet in psychotic disorders

Published today in Schizophrenia Bulletin, a first-of-its-kind randomized controlled trial (RCT) from researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), adds to growing literature on the potential benefit of a ketogenic diet for treating psychotic disorders.

The study, which enrolled participants with schizophrenia-spectrum or bipolar 1 disorders, demonstrated rapid metabolic improvements with a ketogenic diet compared with diet-as-usual during an initial one-month RCT open-label phase.

Furthermore, those who continued with the optional four-month single-arm ketogenic diet extension saw meaningful gains across metabolic, psychiatric and cognitive measures. ...