If you are living with a mental health problem of any kind, there are many dietary strategies you can use to try to address the root causes of your symptoms, and the so-called paleo diet is an excellent place to start for just about everyone. Compared to most modern diets, a paleo-style diet contains more bioavailable nutrients and far fewer antinutrients, and therefore is more nourishing for the brain.

Read my latest post from Psychology Today to learn how removing grains, legumes, dairy and processed foods can improve the nutritional status and overall health of your brain.

The post Six Reasons to Go Paleo for Mental Health appeared first on Diagnosis:Diet. Authored by Georgia Ede MD.

We often hear that red wine should be included in a healthy diet (in moderate amounts) to ward off dementia and heart disease. What separates red wine from most other alcoholic beverages is the presence of resveratrol, a compound lurking within grape skins which is supposed to have magical antioxidant properties. Is this true? If so, is drinking red wine to reap the alleged benefits of its resveratrol content worth the very real risks posed by its alcohol content?

Read my latest post from Psychology Today to learn more about the scientific foundation beneath these hopeful headlines.

The post Can Red Wine Reduce Your Risk for Alzheimer’s? appeared first on Diagnosis:Diet. Authored by Georgia Ede MD.

Scientific Presentations

Metabolic Health Summit 2019

The single best resource of in-depth, cutting edge scientific information and inspiration about ketogenic diets, nutrition, lifestyle and brain health is the video content produced by the 2019 Metabolic Health Summit.

I was honored to have participated in this sold-out (850 attendees) conference in Los Angeles, which dedicated an entire morning to ketogenic diets and brain health featuring presentations and panel discussion by pioneering scientists, educators, authors, and influencers. I was joined by:

• Stephen Cunnane PhD, University of Sherbrooke, Quebec. “Ketones and brain energy rescue during aging: implication for treating Alzheimer’s disease.”
• Jong Rho MD, University of Calgary, Alberta. “Ketogenic diet for autism spectrum disorder: evidence for mitigating core symptoms.”
• David Perlmutter MD, neurologist and best-selling author of Grain Brain, who was the special guest for our one-hour speaker panel and round table discussion.
• Dale Bredesen MD, neurologist and best-selling author of The End of Alzheimer’s delivered a pre-keynote presentation entitled “The first survivors of Alzheimer’s.”

I created a new presentation for this special event that isn’t available anywhere else: “Understanding Food: Nutritional Psychiatry Offers New Treatment Options for Mental Health Disorders.” This talk explores root causes of mental illness, including the neurotransmitter theory (the cornerstone of pharmaceutical treatment) and explains how ketogenic diets affect the activity levels of serotonin, dopamine, GABA and glutamate in the brain, reduce inflammation and oxidation, and stabilize brain chemistry. Included is a review of where the science stands on ketogenic diets and psychiatric disorders including bipolar disorder and psychotic disorders.

Also included are professionally-recorded talks by keynote speaker Harvard nutrition and metabolism researcher David Ludwig MD PhD, Boston College cancer metabolism researcher Thomas Seyfried PhD, Angela Poff PhD, Loren Nations DVM, David Diamond PhD, Sarah Hallberg DO, Mark Sisson, Dominic D’Agostino PhD, Jeff Volek PhD RD, Eric Westman MD, Robb Wolf, and many others.

Low Carb Breckenridge 2018: “Our Descent into Madness: Modern Diets and the Global Mental Health Crisis”

This 2018 Low Carb Breckenridge presentation (100K+ views) summarizes the science behind my nutrition philosophy and explores the potential mental health risks of processed foods and plant-based diets. In this talk I explain why I think a whole foods pre-agricultural diet is the best starting place for most people and why a low-carbohydrate or ketogenic version of this diet is worth considering for those with insulin resistance.

Carnivore Conference 2019: “The Brain Needs Meat: Mental Health Benefits of the Carnivore Diet”

This 2019 presentation from the Boulder Carnivore Conference (65K+ views) scours the science in support of theoretical brain health benefits of plant-free diets.

New Guide to Low-carbohydrate Diets for Mental Health

I wrote a new fully-referenced guide to the science and practice of low-carbohydrate diets for mental health in collaboration with the team at DietDoctor.com that is free for everyone, no membership required, courtesy of Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt. To the best of my knowledge, it is the only resource of its kind available anywhere. It is intended for patients and clinicians alike, and includes a review of the research, scientific explanations and case examples, information about safety concerns, and practical guidance about medications, ketone measurements, and more. It was released in four installments:

• “Low Carb and Mental Health: The Food-Mood Connection” 
• “How Sugar May Damage the Brain” 
• “Low Carb and Mental Health: Getting Started and Managing Medications” 
• “FAQ about Low-Carb Diets and Mental Health” 

Psychology Today Articles

I have written many concise, scientifically-referenced pieces for the general public about how sugar, insulin resistance, low-carbohydrate and ketogenic diets affect mental health on Psychology Today that are free for everyone to access. Most of these have spent time on the top five most popular list on PT and have been collectively viewed millions of times.

• “8 Reasons to Try Low-Carb for Mental Health”
• “Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and the New Science of Hope”
• “New Blood Test Helps Predict (and Prevent?) Bipolar Disorder”
• “The Truth About Low-Protein, High-Carb Diets and Brain Aging”
• “Which Diet Is Healthiest for the Brain?”
• “Ketogenic Diet Promising for Mild Alzheimer’s Disease”
• “Ketogenic Diets and Psychiatric Medications”
• “Top Ten Tips for a Healthier Brain in 2018”
• “Cooling Brain Inflammation Naturally with Food”
• “Ketogenic Diets for Psychiatric Disorders: A New 2017 Review”
• “Stabilize Your Mood with Food”
• “Avoiding Alzheimer’s Disease Could Be Easier Than You Think”

Clinical Consultation Services

If you are a patient or fellow clinician who would like to consult with me privately about nutrition, mental health, and more, please see my consultation page for all the details, including a self-scheduling button. I am available to work with people worldwide to discuss special diets including therapeutic ketogenic diets, medication issues, nutrition coaching, individualized food plans, food sensitivities, management of complex cases, personalized literature research, and more.

Podcasts

DietDoctor podcast hosted by Dr. Bret Scher: Episode 22 Dr. Scher and I discussed medications, eating disorders, and how diet affects our mental processes. Since this podcast was recorded just after my LowCarb Denver presentation about the recently published, controversial EAT-Lancet report, we also shared our concerns about its misleading science and the damaging nutritional implications that could arise from its dietary recommendations. 

Human Performers Outliers hosted by Shawn Baker and Zach Bitter: Episode 21 This focused, information-rich conversation covered a lot of important ground. You may know that the hosts are both elite athletes with a special interest in carnivorous diets (Dr. Baker has been eating an all-meat diet for over a year now, I believe), so we talked in some detail about red meat science (carnitine and heart disease, meat and cancer, etc) and the lack of science in support of eating plant foods (the antioxidant myth, the presence of planti-nutrients and toxins), in addition to going into depth about nutrition and mental health. If you are interested in the debate of plants vs. animals, this is unquestionably the best podcast interview I’ve done on this topic.

The Adventures of Keto Woman podcast hosted by Daisy Brackenhall: Episode 41 Daisy Brackenhall invited me onto her KetoWoman podcast for a truly unique conversation covering topics I’ve never discussed anywhere else, including the metabolic effects of dairy products, hormonal changes of perimenopause, why it’s harder for women to lose weight, the differences between ketogenic and carnivorous diets, and the politics of fat-shaming.Not only does Daisy have her own illuminating story to tell, but her interview style created an unusually comfortable space in which to discuss sensitive topics. 

Books

If your family is coping with Alzheimer’s disease and you’re interested in learning more about how ketogenic diets may help, I highly recommend Amy Berger’s excellent book The Alzheimer’s Antidote. Berger expertly explains the fascinating connection between diet and dementia, in plain English and from every conceivable angle, arming you with the scientific understanding and practical strategies you need to change the course of your future. The Alzheimer’s Antidote will completely change the way you think and feel about Alzheimer’s disease.

Ketogenic Diet and Metabolic Therapies: Expanded Roles in Health and Disease edited by Susan A. Masino is an incredible resource for understanding the intricate science that governs how ketogenic diets impact various health conditions. This tome devotes approximately 1/3 of its chapters to neurological disorders. There is not much information about psychiatric disorders specifically, but much of the additional content is relavant to general brain health. Because it is a textbook, it is a little more expensive, however this is the most comprehensive and informative book that I have come across for ketogenic diets and the brain.

The post Ketogenic Diets for Mental Health: A Guide to Resources appeared first on Diagnosis:Diet. Authored by Georgia Ede MD.

Interest in low-carbohydrate and ketogenic diets continues to rise as people discover their potential to help with stubborn physical health problems such as obesity and type two diabetes—but could this same strategy help with mental health problems as well?

Low-carbohydrate diets have tremendous potential in the prevention and management of psychiatric disorders. The field of nutritional psychiatry is admittedly in its infancy, and rigorous clinical trials exploring the effect of dietary changes on mental health are few and far between, but a tremendous amount of science already exists detailing how high-sugar diets jeopardize brain health and how low-carbohydrate diets support brain health.

Read my complete article on Psychology Today to learn the key benefits that a ketogenic diet can offer to improve your mental health.

The post 8 Reasons to Try Low-Carb for Mental Health appeared first on Diagnosis:Diet. Authored by Georgia Ede MD.

As a psychiatrist with clinical experience treating people with Alzheimer’s disease, I’ve been writing and speaking about Alzheimer’s for some time now. But it wasn’t until I was invited to give a presentation about insulin resistance and neurodegenerative diseases at the first annual Keto-Live conference in Bergün, Switzerland in early June that I delved into the Parkinson’s disease research for the first time. What I discovered was a cornucopia of striking metabolic similarities between Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. If Alzheimer’s disease is Type 3 Diabetes, could Parkinson’s disease be Type 4 Diabetes? Read all the details in my latest post on Psychology Today.

The post Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and the New Science of Hope appeared first on Diagnosis:Diet. Authored by Georgia Ede MD.

Landmark Conference in Southeast Asia

I have been fortunate to participate in many wonderful nutrition conferences across the country in recent years, each of which has been meaningful and special in its own way, but Low Carb Indonesia—which took place last month in the bustling megalopolis of Jakarta—left me at a loss for words. Well, at least temporarily . . .

Now that I’ve recovered from my 30-hour odyssey to the opposite side of the planet, I feel compelled to share lots of words about the experience, although I’m not sure I will be able to do it justice.

This first-in-Asia low-carb science meeting was the brainchild of Mr. Tyo Prasetyo, a big-hearted and charismatic engineer/entrepreneur from Jakarta who launched a Facebook group dedicated to what he calls “Ketofastosis” –the practice of time-restricted, low-carbohydrate eating. He calls members of his group “keto warriors” because they are fighting against the pressure to eat carbohydrates.

“Mas Tyo” (“Brother Tyo”), as he is known by his nearly 350K followers, was called to this mission by his young son Alif, who was born with cerebral palsy and suffered from epilepsy as a baby. Mas Tyo was able to cure his son of seizures with a ketogenic diet, and transform his own health by losing weight and getting fit.

Ketofastosis has become a thriving, well-organized, grassroots revolution in Indonesia, dedicated to educating and supporting laypeople and clinicians alike all across the sprawling archipelago about the healing power of low-carbohydrate diets. Indeed several of the physicians I met at the conference first learned about ketogenic diets from Mas Tyo, and now not only follow this way of eating themselves, but also successfully prescribe it to their patients.

The Low Carb Indonesia meeting was a collaboration between Mas Tyo and LowCarbUSA founders Doug Reynolds and Pam Devine, who host low-carb conferences across the U.S. The two-day event provided a forum to make the case for low-carbohydrate diets as a safe, scientifically-sound, healing alternative to standard diets prescribed by many national guidelines. The conference was beautifully organized and ran like a well-oiled machine from start to finish, thanks to a top-notch group of dedicated volunteers.

The special nature of this event was evident as soon as we arrived in Jakarta. We were warmly welcomed by our gracious hosts, who presented each of the speakers with two gorgeous, custom-made batik shirts to be worn during the conference: brown-patterned tops for Saturday and multi-colored tops for Sunday, each pattern proudly representing a particular region of Indonesia.

The audience of about 350 people included everyday people, government officials, nutrition policymakers, dozens of media representatives (including CNN Indonesia), and well over a hundred physicians. The speaker list included Indonesian physicians and government officials, as well as three visiting international physicians. Two extraordinarily talented interpreters, Anggini Setiawan and Carmelita Canjumban, provided translation between English and Bahasa Indonesia (the official national language) through headsets.

The Science

Each speaker gave one presentation on Saturday and one on Sunday. It was wonderful to hear the physician speakers from Indonesia:

• Dr. Asri Ningrum, neurologist at RSI (Islamic Hospital) Siti Hajar in Mataram. Topics: insulin resistance, gut barrier dysfunction. Dr. Asri and I made a special connection, as she told me she had embarked on a carnivore diet just a couple of months before the conference in an effort to heal a chronic skin condition, and was having success.
• Dr. Piprim Basarah Yanuarso, a pediatric cardiologist who is also pursuing a PhD. Topics: ketosis harm or benefit, why low-carb makes sense.
• Dr. Kobal Sangaji, physiatrist (rehabilitation medicine specialist) at Awal Bros Hospital in Pekanbaru. Topics: fasting, aging/degenerative disease.
• Dr. Eka Musridharta, neurologist and head of neurology intensive care at the RSPON (National Brain Center Hospital). Topics: brain injury, neuroprotection
• Dr. H. Rachman Sahnan Putra, head of the West Lombok Health Department

Dr. Eric Westman (Duke University, North Carolina), Dr. Gary Fettke (Tasmania) and I comprised the international physician speaker list. Dr. Westman spoke about obesity and type 2 diabetes, Dr. Fettke spoke about cancer and inflammation, and I spoke about dietary guidelines and mental health.

Clockwise from top left: Dr. Georgia Ede; Dr. Piprim Basarah Yanuarso; panel discussion with Mas Tyo Prasetyo, Dr. Gary Fettke, Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Eric Westman, and Nanda Triwibawa (moderator); panel discussion with Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Asri Ningrum, Dr. Eka Musridharta, Low Carb USA co-founder Doug Reynolds, Dr. Piprim Basarah Yanuarso, Low Carb USA co-founder Pam Devine, and Dr. Eric Westman; Dr. Asri Ningrum; panel discussion with Mina Surya Halim (moderator), H. Rachman Sahnan Putra, Dr. Sugeng Eko Irianto (WHO Country Office for Indonesia), Dr. Piprim Basarah Yanuarso and Dr. Kobal Sangaji.

I enjoyed researching Indonesia-specific information about psychiatry, food, nutrition, and health to include in my presentations. I learned so much that was interesting, new and surprising to me.

For example, as a developing nation, Indonesia has made tremendous strides in improving the nutritional status of its people, as evidenced by significant reductions in child mortality and stunting. However, as the country has become more exposed to processed foods, a new nutritional problem is rearing its ugly head: childhood obesity. The coexistence of the seemingly opposite problems of undernutrition and overnutrition within the same population—and sometimes even within the same individual—is called “the double burden of malnutrition.”

As you can see in this chart, Indonesia already follows many of the recommendations included in most dietary guidelines around the world, basing their diet on grains and eating very little in the way of animal foods:

One of things I learned in preparing for my Sunday talk about mental health was that most people with mental illness in Indonesia do not have access to conventional care or psychiatric medications. Imagine if people were able to reduce their need for psychiatric care by improving the quality of their diet; this would potentially be more cost-effective than building specialty hospitals, training thousands of psychiatrists, and purchasing expensive medications for Indonesian citizens.

The People

This conference was about so much more than the science of nutrition, though; it was about the people. Those of us from outside Indonesia were all deeply moved by the spirit of the people.

Every evening was set aside for special dinners where we could get to know the other speakers and spend time with the inspiring, hardworking staff who organized the conference. Without exception, everyone we met was warm, generous, and kind. Their passion for the cause was deep, genuine and palpable. There was an abundance of goodwill and so much laughter, playfulness and good humor—I don’t think I’ve ever smiled so much in my entire life.

At dinners and during conference breaks, people would gather for group photos, typically taken in sets of three: one formal shot, one shot with everyone giving the “K” sign (the hand symbol for “Ketofastosis”), and one “freestyle” shot where people had fun showing their personalities. The K sign—just one of Mas Tyo’s creative community-building strategies— was like a secret handshake, making people feel less like they were simply following a diet and more like they belonged to a special club.

The speakers and conference organizers: formal shot and freestyle!

When we asked Mas Tyo how he had amassed such a large membership so quickly, he said: “Indonesian people love to share.” We witnessed countless examples of the spirit of sharing—not only of material belongings, but of transformational experiences. Everyone we talked with had a joyful story to tell of how “ketofastosis” had improved their health. Many reported 50, 100, 150 or even 200-pound weight loss, proudly showing us their “before” photos on their phones. Men and women alike rattled off lists of prescription medications they are proud they no longer need to take. Another common theme was improved mental health-—resolution of anxiety, depression, or mental fog. Several people had completely reversed cancer diagnoses, while others beamed that they had been able to conceive a child for the first time after years of infertility. Mas Tyo refers to these miracle children as “keto babies.”

The time spent together during dinner each evening with fellow speakers, conference organizers and Ketofastosis members was not about hierarchy, influence, and access, but rather about celebrating a way of life that has empowered all of us to reclaim our health in a myriad of ways.

Bali

Mas Tyo was an incredibly generous host, treating all of the speakers and our partners (except for Dr. Asri, who unfortunately was unable to join us) to two nights in Bali together so that we could spend time networking after the whirlwind conference. Upon arriving at the Bali airport, we were greeted by a Bali-based group of Keto Warriors bearing homemade welcome signs, enormous smiles, and fresh flower leis! They whisked us away to our hotel and later picked us up and escorted us to an unassuming storefront in what looked like a strip mall. We entered and walked through the simple, empty establishment, wondering why nobody was eating there, only to exit out the back to find beautiful, long, candlelit tables on the beach covered with freshly-cooked seafood.

What a surprise to walk through the empty restaurant (above left) to discover this beautiful setting for dinner on the beach.

Courtesy of Dr. Kobal, we spent our second day together talking about our work and doing some sightseeing, then met up with the Keto Warriors for dinner our last evening on the island. The Bali keto warriors embody the magic of community support. As simple as a low-carbohydrate diet is, it can be difficult to maintain in a world full of tempting sweet and starchy foods. These women gather regularly for shared meals, coffee, outings, and chats and genuinely enjoy each other’s company. They know one another’s vulnerabilities, so they can help each other stay on track during times of stress. This network of people felt more like a family than a diet support group.

top left: an enthusiastic Bali Keto Warrior welcome at the airport; right and bottom left: evenings out with the Bali Keto Warriors

left: crispy duck (and I mean crispy!), a Balinese specialty; right: delicious seafood platter

The Secret Ingredient

Those of us from outside Indonesia—all of us veterans of low-carb events—repeatedly remarked on how special this event was. When Mas Tyo asked us what made it different from other low-carb conferences, I couldn’t put my finger on it at first. Then, finally, on our last morning in Jakarta as we said goodbye to our hosts, I told Mas Tyo what I thought the secret ingredient was: “It’s the love.”

Thank you, Mas Tyo, fellow speakers, and all of the Keto Warriors for welcoming us into your world! It was an unforgettably inspiring experience that reinforced for me why it’s so important to continue spreading information about the power of low-carbohydrate nutrition. I’ve not yet attended a U.S. conference that included local policymakers or government health officials on the stage and in the audience, and that had such a robust media presence. Perhaps your landmark conference could serve as a model for us here in the U.S. (and in other countries) about how to create real, lasting political change in the service of public health . . . and happiness.

The post Low Carb Indonesia—Celebrating Health and Changing the World appeared first on Diagnosis:Diet. Authored by Georgia Ede MD.

Last month I had the pleasure of participating in the Boulder Carnivore Conference, the world’s first meeting dedicated to the potential benefits of plant-free diets. I created a new presentation exploring the nutritional differences between plant and animal foods and summarizing the scientific arguments in support of all-meat diets for optimal brain health. This seemingly strange and extreme way of eating flies in the face of every piece of conventional nutrition advice we’ve been given. Yet a growing number of people report remarkable benefits, including resolution of serious, chronic psychiatric symptoms.

To watch the video of my talk “The Brain Needs Meat” and read more about the carnivore movement, check out my complete article on Psychology Today.

The post The Brain Needs Meat appeared first on Diagnosis:Diet. Authored by Georgia Ede MD.

We think of fat as bad—the less of it we eat, and the less of it we carry on our bodies, the better. But this isn’t the right way to think about it. Fat is not just for insulation and energy storage, it’s also for nutrient absorption, cell signaling, immune function and many other critical processes.

Our brains are extremely rich in fat. About 2/3 of the human brain is fat, and a full 20% of that fat is a very special essential omega-3 fatty acid called docosahexanoic acid, or DHA.

In this post I delve into the fascinating world of DHA, a fatty acid that may just be responsible for higher intelligence. Read the full post on Psychology Today.

The post The Brain Needs Animal Fat appeared first on Diagnosis:Diet. Authored by Georgia Ede MD.

A common nutritional myth is that arachidonic acid—an omega-6 fatty acid found in meat—is dangerously inflammatory for our system. In this post we offer an insider’s look into the scientific evidence about arachidonic acid. Enjoy this personal testimony of a misunderstood fatty acid that deserves our respect in my latest post on Psychology Today.

The post Do You Have Arachiphobia? appeared first on Diagnosis:Diet. Authored by Georgia Ede MD.

The EAT-Lancet Commission released an important new report about global  nutrition this week that deserves everyone’s full attention: “Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems.”

This report envisions a “Great Food Transformation” which seeks to achieve an environmentally sustainable and optimally healthy diet for the world’s people by 2050. Its core nutrition recommendation is to minimize consumption of animal foods as much as possible, and replace them with whole grains, legumes and nuts. But is this really a sustainable diet? Read my response on Psychology Today.

The post EAT-Lancet’s Plant-based Planet: 10 Things You Need to Know appeared first on Diagnosis:Diet. Authored by Georgia Ede MD.