It's recently been discovered that a high fat or low carb ketogenic diet may have certain effects in treating schizophrenia, CTVNews reports.
The research team from James Cook University in Australia is actively investigating the effectiveness of this diet for the purpose of treatment and management of the mental condition.
The findings of the study were published in Schizophrenia Research. They utilized mice and fed using a ketogenic diet. It led to fewer animal behaviors similar to schizophrenia. The mice's weight and blood glucose levels were improved. They had lower weight and blood glucose than mice that went on a normal diet.
The diet may be more effective because it gives a different energy source for the brain. This can facilitate a better neurotransmission and help the neurobiological processes that cause schizophrenia.
It appears that the diet can be helpful to the patients exhibiting the medical condition. Zoltan Sarnyai, the lead author of the research, said, "Ketogenic diet provides an alternative source of energy to the brain through fatty acids. Furthermore, since this diet is very low in carbohydrates, almost all the energy needs of the cells comes from breaking down fat (fatty acids) as opposed to glucose. This can circumvent the classic glucose metabolic pathways that maybe impaired in the disease."
The ketogenic diet, if prescribed to patients, mean that the food sources would be composed primarily of butter, cheese, and salmon. The patient would get energy mainly from fat.
The diet will also have secondary benefits like managing weight gain, heart conditions, and diabetes. With the big possibility of using clinical trials, the research team will conduct further investigations.
The mental condition affects 1.1% of the entire U.S. population. There are medications in treating and managing schizophrenia however, these can have major side effects. There is no known cure for this condition.
