Adjunctive Ketogenic Diet Beneficial for Major Depressive Disorder
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WEDNESDAY, Sept. 10, 2025 -- A ketogenic diet (KD) is a feasible adjunctive therapy and is associated with improvements in depression symptoms among young adults with major depressive disorder (MDD), according to a study published online Sept. 9 in Translational Psychiatry.
Drew D. Decker, from The Ohio State University in Columbus, and colleagues examined tolerance for a KD in 24 young adults with MDD. Participants were receiving standard-of-care counseling and/or medication treatment and were enrolled in a 10- to 12-week KD intervention, including partial provision of ketogenic-appropriate food items, frequent dietary counseling, and daily morning tracking of capillary R-beta-hydroxybutyrate; 16 students completed the intervention.
The researchers found that 73 percent of the time, nutritional ketosis was achieved. Postintervention, depressive symptoms decreased by 69 and 71 percent with the Patient Health Questionnaire and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, respectively; improvement occurred within two to six weeks. There was a nearly threefold increase in global well-being. Both body mass and fat mass decreased (−6.2 and −13.0 percent, respectively). A decrease was seen in serum leptin (−52 percent), while there was an increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (+32 percent). On several cognitive tasks, performance improved.
"The average effect size for medications and counseling after 12 weeks is about 50 percent, and we saw a substantially greater result," coauthor Ryan Patel, D.O., of Ohio State's Office of Student Life Counseling and Consultation Service, said in a statement. "That is an impressive finding, that across the board, in this real-world setting, everybody got better, and across the board, our participants did not need more treatment or emergency intervention."
One author disclosed ties to Virta Health and has authored books recommending a ketogenic diet.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
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