RFK Jr. Claims Keto Diet Cures Schizophrenia; Experts Dispute Assertion

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed this week that the ketogenic diet could cure schizophrenia, an assertion that medical experts say goes far beyond what science supports. Speaking at the Tennessee State Capitol, Kennedy told a crowd that diet plays a major role in mental illness.

Kennedy said a Harvard doctor had "cured schizophrenia using keto diets," and added that some people were no longer diagnosed as bipolar after changing what they eat. "There are studies right now that I saw two days ago where people lose their bipolar diagnosis by changing their diet," Kennedy said.

"There is currently no credible evidence that ketogenic diets cure schizophrenia," a psychiatry professor at Columbia University stated. Mental health experts stress that existing reports are very small. It's "simply misleading to suggest that we know that ketogenic diets can improve schizophrenia symptoms, much less that they can 'cure' the condition," said the former president of the American Psychiatric Association.

Kennedy appeared to be referring to research by a Harvard psychiatrist who described two patients in 2019 whose schizophrenia symptoms went into remission while on a keto diet. The researcher later called the diet a "promising" approach, but not a cure.

The keto diet is high in fat and very low in carbohydrates. While popular for weight loss, it is hard to follow long-term and may raise heart health risks. Some short-term studies suggest keto diets may help certain symptoms, but most lack control groups for comparison.

Schizophrenia affects thinking, emotions and behavior and usually requires lifelong treatment. Antipsychotic medications remain the main treatment, although they can cause side effects like weight gain and fatigue. Experts agree that diet may play a role in overall health but warn against replacing proven treatments.