Researchers studied whether a ketogenic diet could help adults with treatment-resistant depression. They enrolled 88 people across the UK who had not responded well to standard depression treatments. Half followed a strict ketogenic diet with prepared foods, while the other half followed a control diet with extra vegetables and healthy fats. Both groups received weekly support from a dietitian for 6 weeks.
After 6 weeks, people on the ketogenic diet showed slightly greater improvement in depression scores compared to the control group. The difference was modest and just reached statistical significance. When researchers looked at other measures like anxiety, quality of life, or depression scores at 12 weeks, they found no clear differences between the two groups.
No serious side effects were reported in the study. The main reason to be careful is that this was just one small trial, and the benefit was quite small. The researchers themselves note that the clinical relevance of this modest effect is uncertain. Readers should understand that while this early finding is interesting, it doesn't mean a ketogenic diet is a proven treatment for depression yet. More and larger studies are needed to confirm whether this approach offers meaningful help.