on PinterestEmerging evidence suggests that a ketogenic diet may help with depression symptom management.
on PinterestEmerging evidence suggests that a ketogenic diet may help with depression symptom management. Nadine Greeff/Getty Images
- A 2025 pilot study showed that young adults saw a 70% reduction in symptoms of depression after following a ketogenic diet.
- A new study has found that a ketogenic diet may have antidepressant effects in people with treatment-resistant depression.
- The keto diet may also have potential for mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but more studies are needed.
A ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate, high fat diet that has been shown to provide various benefits, such as weight loss.
The keto diet may also help with managing diabetes, cancer, epilepsy, and Alzheimer’s disease, and even improve symptoms associated with mental health conditions like depression.
A 2025 pilot study found that young adults experienced up to a 70% reduction in symptoms of depression after they followed a keto diet.
A recent study published in JAMA Psychiatry suggested that following a keto diet may help manage symptoms in people with treatment-resistant depression.
Treatment-resistant depression is a subset of major depressive disorder (MDD) that does not respond to traditional first-line treatments, such as medications and psychotherapy.
Despite these positive findings, experts caution that a keto diet should not replace standard treatment for depression. There may also be certain risks associated with keto, which is why it’s important to consult with a mental health or healthcare professional before trying this diet.
“Ketogenic diets are highly restrictive and carry significant long-term concerns,” said Michelle Routhenstein, a preventive cardiology dietitian at EntirelyNourished, who was not involved in the studies.
“They can increase cardiovascular risk, cause nutrient deficiencies, and are not recommended to be sustained long term, making this strategy not one that is sustainable,” Routhenstein continued.
“For most people, the potential harms, including heart health impacts and nutritional gaps, far outweigh the modest, short-term mood benefits observed. Keto should not be recommended outside of closely supervised research or specialist settings,” she told Healthline.
Keto diet and treatment-resistant depression
A study published on February 4 in JAMA Psychiatry suggested that following a keto diet may have antidepressant effects in people with treatment-resistant depression.
This small study included 88 participants with an average age of 42 years. The average time of experiencing depressive episodes was 16 months, and 93% of the participants were receiving monotherapy (one type of treatment).
They were split evenly between the keto diet and control groups. These were both six-week dietary interventions.
At the six-week follow-up, around 25% of the keto diet group and 9% of the control group had achieved remission from depression. Then at the final 12-week follow-up, 7% of the keto diet group had experienced a relapse in depression, with 18% continuing to experience remission. Remission in the control group remained unchanged.
These results show that a keto diet had antidepressant benefits when compared with a control diet. However, the study authors note that “the clinical relevance is uncertain, as the mean effect size compared with the control was modest and not evident in secondary analyses.”
Further research
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