In a recent address on the health implications of diet, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a striking claim regarding the ketogenic diet’s potential to treat severe mental health conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. This statement was made during a speech in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday.
During his 20-minute speech, which also featured Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Kennedy lauded the Trump administration’s new Dietary Guidelines for Americans document. This document outlines food policies for government-funded nutrition programs, including food stamps and school lunches.
Kennedy expressed concern over diets predominantly made up of ultraprocessed foods and refined carbohydrates, stating that such diets “are killing” children.
“We now know that the foods you consume are driving mental illness in this country,” he asserted.
He highlighted the work of Harvard physician Christopher Palmer, noting that he has been able to “cure schizophrenia using keto diets.”
Ketogenic diets, characterized by high-fat and low-carbohydrate content, were initially developed in the 1920s as a treatment for epilepsy, reflecting the seizure-reducing effects similar to those of fasting.
Palmer, who is the Director of the Metabolic and Mental Health Program at the Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital, published his first case study in 2019, detailing the positive outcomes for two schizophrenia patients who switched to a keto-based diet.
He gained wider recognition with his 2022 book “Brain Energy,” where he classifies various mental health disorders, from anxiety and depression to PTSD and schizophrenia, as metabolic disorders of the brain.
Moreover, a small pilot study conducted in 2024 by Stanford Medicine focusing on 21 adult patients diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder showed significant improvements in their mental health symptoms after following a keto-based diet.
At present, researchers at Massachusetts General Brigham in Boston are actively recruiting new patients for a clinical trial examining the effects of keto diets on individuals with bipolar I disorder or schizoaffective disorder.
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The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released in January, recommend reducing added refined sugars and nearly doubling protein intake compared to previous recommendations.
“This is not only affecting our physical health, but our mental health as well. We’re urging people to eat real food,” Kennedy commented. “I consume protein, fruits, vegetables, and high-fiber grains. As Gov. Lee said, it’s just common sense—we aim to provide sensible policies for the American public.”
