What is metabolic psychiatry?

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We all know that the food we eat affects how we feel.

But a growing body of research is showing that our mental health is largely shaped by our diet and metabolism.

Researchers have found that our brains are intimately connected to our stomachs.

There are actually more nerve cells in your gut than in any other part of the body except the brain.

Experts have identified this “gut-brain axis” as an important factor in mental health.

Research shows that metabolic dysfunction stemming from dietary choices can affect the brain.

How? Metabolites produced in the stomach cross the “blood-brain barrier” and disrupt normal patterns in our brain.

These findings have led to a deeper understanding of how mental health works, allowing scientists to move beyond an outdated model in which mental health disorders were understood only as a problem in the brain.

Given the fact that 1 in 3 Americans report feeling symptoms of anxiety and/or depression, this research could help transform the way we treat mental health disorders.

These findings has led to the establishment of a new field of study: metabolic psychiatry.

Ten years ago, Dr. Shebani Sethi of the Stanford School of Medicine coined the term “metabolic psychiatry” to give a name to this growing field of study.

Dr. Sethi, who is board-certified in both psychiatry and obesity medicine, observed that many patients with treatment-resistant mental health disorders also suffered from metabolic disorders like:

• insulin resistance or pre-diabetes

• hypertension

• obesity

Over the past decade, Dr. Sethi established Stanford Medicine's Metabolic Psychiatry Clinic.

She said that the new field is:

The links between metabolic disorders and mental health are becoming more apparent.

According to new research from Dr. Natalie Rasgon, one of Dr. Sethi's Stanford colleagues:

Dr. Sethi has used the low-carbohydrate and high-fat ketogenic diet as an intervention for her patients.

She explains how the ketogenic diet can help to address gut-brain problems:

In a 2022 interview with Stanford Medicine, she noted that the “ketogenic diet is not for everyone.”

But, a pilot study conducted by her lab found that a ketogenic diet can help people with severe bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.

Four months after introducing the study participants to the ketogenic diet, she found that the diet led to:

• a reduction in central abdominal fat, BMI, and cardiac inflammation

• a reduction in reported mental health disorder symptoms

• improved sleep

If you’re thinking of trying the ketogenic diet, consult with a doctor first.

But everyone who is interested in mental health should be aware of this important connection between our stomachs and our brains.

We may be witnessing the beginning of a revolution in the way that we understand and treat mental health disorders.

And now, a word from our sponsors at The Flyover:

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