Ketogenic diets treat mental illness

Ketogenic diets treat mental illness

BHB (a ketone type) promotes neurotransmitter balance which has neuroprotective effects. A diet low in carbohydrates resolves hyperglycemia, which is known to produce inflammatory cytokines. Ketogenic diets are amazing for mental health and neurological disorders because of their ability to reduce chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.

Neuroprotective effects of the ketogenic diet will lead to:

  • reduced advanced glycation end products (AGEs)
  • reduction of inflammatory cytokines
  • reduction of free radicals in the brain
  • reduced damage to blood brain barrier
    • major structure offering protection for the brain
  • reduced atrophy of the hippocampus
    • critical for learning, emotional responses, memory formation and storage
  • Upregulation of endogenous glutathione production
    • POWERFUL antioxidant!

You have to give your brain what it needs to work better if you want to treat mental illness and neurological disorders. Ketogenic diets are powerful mental health interventions.

Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of this same blog series to learn more about how ketogenic diets can treat mental illness and neurological disorders! Lots more information on the Mental Health Keto blog, where you can discover more benefits of the keto diet for mental health.

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Search for a mental health diagnosis at the bottom of this post to learn more about the use of a ketogenic diet as a potential treatment.

References

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00410

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/diagnosis-diet/201712/the-antioxidant-myth

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1471-4159.2008.05460.x

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/diagnosis-diet/201712/cooling-brain-inflammation-naturally-food

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00410