06/11/2024
I wanted to highlight quickly why knowing how to read a scientific study is so important.
This study (Ketogenic diet has a positive association with mental and emotional well-being in the general population) was posted on another platform by a dietitian. She stated that she is "very interested in research around food and mood."
She also wrote that the researchers had "tons of ideas" about why keto could help mood, indicating that no causation was established despite posting that this was a great study.
There were several red flags, particularly that results contradicted well-researched conclusions.
The study was actually quite poorly designed, with no monitoring of participants other than having them fill out forms, which is wildly inaccurate.
Here is my response:
"I think any benefit is likely temporary and is acting essentially like an elimination diet. The participants who were not in the keto diet group did not alter their diet, so we're really comparing keto to SAD, not keto, to other diets that have much better research behind them.
The criteria for inclusion was that they had been on a ketogenic diet for at least one week. They also excluded individuals who have been diagnosed with mood and anxiety disorders, as well as neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative conditions.
The study relied on self-reporting via a survey, which we know is not accurate, but both cohorts were also found to be consuming foods "that are not suitable for a ketogenic diet," though less frequently than others.
There were no dietitians involved, none of the participants received any nutrition education or counseling, and most of the participants did not confirm ketosis.
Overall, this diet was poorly designed. I'm not sure I would even consider it preliminary research. We already know that reducing added sugar and adding fiber helps with depression symptoms.
I'm also curious about what role the community of keto dieters played in reducing feelings of loneliness and anxiety that were reported."
But if you had seen this posted on your social media feed, what would your thoughts have been?