This episode features, Dr Chris Palmer, a Harvard trained psychiatrist who specialises in using nutrition and the ketogenic diet to fix mental health disorders and optimize brain function.
In this episode, Dr Palmer discusses the role of the mitochondria in mental health and mood disorders. This Primal Labs post will provide a deeper understanding of the role of mitochondria, how mitochondria dysfunction affects the brain and mental health disorders, as well as the science of the Ketogenic Diet (ketosis) as a nutritional protocol to fix mental health and mood disorders.
The Role of Mitochondria and Ketosis in Mental Health and Mood Disorders
Mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, and ADHD are commonly viewed through psychological and emotional lenses.
However, emerging research suggests they may also be metabolic disorders of the brain, directly linked to the health of our mitochondria—the powerhouse of our cells.
Understanding the relationship between mitochondrial function, neurotransmitters, and metabolic processes like ketosis provides new insights into managing these conditions.
What Are Mitochondria and Why Are They Important?
Mitochondria are organelles found in nearly every cell in the body, and their primary function is to produce energy through the conversion of nutrients into adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
ATP is the energy currency of cells, which powers essential functions in the brain, muscles, and other tissues. However, mitochondria also play a critical role in regulating the production and release of neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that control mood, focus, and energy levels.
In individuals with mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and ADHD, mitochondrial dysfunction is often present. This dysfunction may lead to reduced energy production, impaired neurotransmitter regulation, and overall metabolic imbalance in the brain. The result? Mood disturbances, low energy, and cognitive difficulties.
Mitochondria, Neurotransmitters, and Mental Health
Several key neurotransmitters, including serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, are responsible for regulating mood, focus, and energy levels.
These neurotransmitters play a role in maintaining emotional stability, motivation, and mental clarity. When mitochondria are functioning optimally, they help in the synthesis and release of these neurotransmitters.
However, when mitochondrial dysfunction occurs, neurotransmitter production and regulation can become erratic, which may result in mood swings, low motivation, heightened anxiety, or difficulty concentrating—symptoms common in depression, anxiety, and ADHD.
The Ketogenic Diet: A Potential Solution
One approach to addressing mitochondrial dysfunction in the brain—and thus improving mood disorders—is the Ketogenic Diet. This diet is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat eating plan that forces the body to switch from using glucose as its primary energy source to using fat.
This metabolic shift produces ketones, which are an alternative fuel that the brain can use more efficiently than glucose, especially when mitochondrial dysfunction is present.
There are two primary ways the Ketogenic Diet may help correct mood disorders through mitochondrial mechanisms:
- Mitophagy
- Mitochondrial Biogenesis
Mitophagy: Fixing Defective Mitochondria
Mitophagy is the process by which defective mitochondria are selectively removed and degraded, allowing the body to recycle their components and replace them with healthy, new mitochondria.
This process is different from autophagy, which is a broader form of cellular cleanup that targets other damaged components in the cell, not just mitochondria.
By encouraging mitophagy, the Ketogenic Diet helps clean up dysfunctional mitochondria, allowing the brain to operate more efficiently.
This is particularly important for people with mood disorders, as repairing defective mitochondria can restore proper neurotransmitter balance and improve brain metabolism, which in turn improves mental clarity, focus, and emotional stability.
Mitochondrial Biogenesis: Creating New Mitochondria
Mitochondrial biogenesis is the process of producing new mitochondria within cells. The Ketogenic Diet can stimulate this process, leading to an increase in the number of healthy mitochondria in the brain.
This results in improved energy production and better regulation of neurotransmitters. For individuals with conditions like depression or ADHD, the creation of new mitochondria can mean a significant improvement in energy levels, mood, and cognitive function.
As mentioned above, the process of shifting from glucose to fat as the main source of energy is called ketosis, which takes place using ketones’ function.
What Are Ketones, and How Do You Get Into Ketosis?
Ketones are produced when the body breaks down fat into energy, and they serve as an alternative fuel source for the brain when glucose is scarce. In the context of mitochondrial dysfunction and mood disorders, ketones offer several advantages:
- They provide a more stable energy source for the brain, avoiding the spikes and crashes associated with glucose.
- They can enhance mitochondrial function and promote the repair of damaged mitochondria.
- They may lead to reduced inflammation in the brain, further supporting mental health.
To enter a state of ketosis, where the body starts producing ketones, you need to significantly reduce your carbohydrate intake. This forces the body to turn to fat stores for energy, converting them into ketones for fuel. Achieving ketosis requires:
- Increasing Fat Intake: Since carbohydrates are restricted, a high-fat diet ensures the body has enough fuel for ketosis. About 70-80% of the daily caloric intake can come from fat sources.
- Moderate Protein: Excess protein can be converted to glucose, so protein intake should be moderate, about 20% of the daily caloric intake.
- Limiting Carbohydrates: The average daily intake should be less than 20 grams of net carbs, depending on the individual and different body types.
How to Approach Ketosis for Different Body Types?
For people looking to use the Ketogenic Diet to improve their mental health, how they approach ketosis can vary based on body composition.
- Obese Individuals: Their body has an abundance of fat stores, which can be readily used for energy. In this case, reducing carbohydrate intake is enough to trigger ketosis, and the body will naturally use its stored fat for fuel.
- Lean Individuals: Since they may have less body fat to draw from, thin people often need to increase their dietary fat intake when lowering carbohydrates to ensure they have enough fuel to maintain energy levels and achieve ketosis.
Summary
Mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, and ADHD are not just psychological but can be linked to metabolic disorders of the brain driven by mitochondrial dysfunction.
Mitochondria play a key role in energy production and neurotransmitter regulation, both of which are critical for mood and cognitive function.
By following a Ketogenic Diet, individuals can improve mitochondrial function through mitophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis, offering potential relief from mood disorders.
The diet's emphasis on ketones provides a more efficient energy source for the brain, helping to restore balance and improve overall mental well-being.
Whether you're overweight or lean, adapting the ketogenic approach to your body type and needs can be a practical way to enhance mental health and metabolic function.
Dr Palmer's Book
About Dr Chris Palmer
Christopher M. Palmer, MD, received his medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine and completed his internship and psychiatry residency at McLean Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School. He is currently the director of the Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at McLean Hospital and an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
For over 20 years, Dr. Palmer’s clinical work has focused on treatment resistant cases, and recently he has been pioneering the use of the ketogenic diet in psychiatry, especially treatment resistant cases of mood and psychotic disorders.
