We often think of mental health as being influenced primarily by genetics, life experiences and our environment. But what if we have overlooked one of the most fundamental influences on the brain: what we eat? While researching the links between diet and mental health, I came across a fascinating paper published in the International Journal of Circumpolar Health in 2003, with the title Diet and mental health in the Arctic: is diet an important risk factor for mental health in circumpolar...

Very recently, the results were published from the first randomised controlled trial investigating a ketogenic diet in people with psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and bipolar I disorder with psychotic features. This is an important study because, although there has been growing interest in metabolic therapies for serious mental illness, much of the previous research into ketogenic diets has consisted of small pilot studies or case reports. This trial provides...

Find out about bipolar disorder research investigating the link with brain energy at Edinburgh University.