Ketogenic diet has a positive association with mental and emotional well-being in the general population

Ketogenic diet reduces pathological stress and improves mood in neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders. However, the effects of ketogenic diet for people from the general population have largely been unexplored. Ketogenic diet is increasingly used for weight loss. Research in healthy individuals primarily focuses on the physical implications of ketogenic diet. It is important to understand the holistic effects of ketogenic diet not only the physiological but also the psychological impacts in non-clinical samples. The aim of this cross-sectional study with multiple cohorts was to investigate the association of ketogenic diet with different aspects of mental health including calmness, contentedness, alertness, cognitive and emotional stress, depression, anxiety and loneliness in a general healthy population. Two online surveys were distributed: Cohort 1 using the Bond-Lader visual analogue scale (BL-VAS) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) (n=147) and Cohort 2 the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and UCLA-R Loneliness scale (n=276). Ketogenic diet was associated with higher self-reported mental and emotional well-being behaviours including calmness, contentedness, alertness, cognitive and emotional stress, depression, anxiety and loneliness compared to individuals on a non-specific diet in a general population. This research demonstrated that ketogenic diet has potential psychological benefits within the general population.