Metabolic Mind

You may have seen headlines or social media posts claiming that ketones increase the risk of heart attacks and that this proves ketogenic diets are dangerous for heart health. But when you actually examine the study behind those claims, the data tell a very different story. In this video, Dr. Bret Scher takes a closer look at a recent paper published in the Journal of the American Heart Associatio...

Can you reverse fatty liver disease with a ketogenic diet? Fatty liver disease is now one of the fastest-growing liver conditions in the world, affecting roughly 30% of adults and an increasing number of children. And in many cases, it’s driven by metabolic dysfunction and insulin resistance. In this conversation, Dr. Bret Scher speaks with Dr. Amy Goss (University of Alabama at Birmingham) and Dr...

A new meta-analysis of 174 randomized controlled trials on “carbohydrate-restricted diets” found consistent benefits for body composition, blood pressure, inflammation, and more. But instead of highlighting the metabolic benefits, most of the headlines focused almost entirely on a small bump in LDL. In this video, Dr. Bret Scher breaks down why that reaction misses the point and how biases in nutr...

Are there real contraindications to a ketogenic diet? Yes, but they’re far rarer than many people think. So who shouldn’t do keto? In this video, Dr. Bret Scher breaks down the difference between absolute and relative contraindications to ketogenic therapy. While rare inborn metabolic disorders and certain acute illnesses are true absolute contraindications, most commonly cited concerns, including...

Ketogenic therapy for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression is gaining attention, but how can it be safely implemented into clinical practice? A newly published expert consensus provides practical recommendations to help clinicians thoughtfully apply ketogenic metabolic therapy (KMT) for serious mental illnesses. In this in-depth conversation, Dr. Matt Bernstein and Dr. Georgia Ede, both...

How can doctors, psychiatrists, and other health practitioners implement keto for serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression? In this short interview, Dr. Bret Scher sits down with Dr. Georgia Ede to discuss a newly published Delphi consensus paper in Frontiers in Nutrition , authored by eight experienced clinicians and researchers to establish best practices for...

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the leading cause of infertility in women, but what if the real issue isn’t the ovaries? In this eye-opening conversation, Dr. Bret Scher speaks with Dr. Steven Palter, reproductive endocrinologist and founder of Gold Coast IVF, about the powerful connection between PCOS, metabolic health, mental health, and fertility. For decades, PCOS has been treated symptom-...

February is Heart Health Month, making it the perfect time to challenge common misconceptions about diet and cardiovascular health. One claim that always resurfaces? That ketogenic diets are bad for your heart. But when you take a closer look at the science, that assumption simply doesn’t hold up. In this video, Dr. Bret Scher breaks down the real evidence behind ketogenic diets and cardiovascular...

Is there evidence that the ketogenic diet can cure schizophrenia? Recent comments from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sparked headlines…and controversy. While “cure” isn’t the right word, the conversation has brought much-needed attention to an emerging field: metabolic psychiatry. In this video, Dr. Bret Scher breaks down what the science actually shows about ketogenic metabolic therapy as a...

In this powerful interview, Dr. Bret Scher speaks with Dr. Robin Engelhardt, a German researcher and PhD in psychology, who is launching a pilot study investigating ketogenic metabolic therapy as a treatment for PTSD and complex PTSD. Using his own personal experience of healing from PTSD through nutritional ketosis, Dr. Engelhardt is now launching a pilot study to explore whether this approach ca...

Saturated fat is back in the headlines, and so is the confusion. The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans just dropped, and while there’s clear progress (more support for animal-based protein, low-carb options, and reduced sugar), they’ve kept the 10% cap on saturated fat. But does the science still support that limit, and does it make sense with the rest of the recommendations? In this episode, D...

In this deeply personal and powerful conversation, Metabolic Mind founder Jan Ellison Baszucki joins mental health advocate Laura Delano to share a mother’s journey through her son’s bipolar disorder diagnosis, years of psychiatric crisis, and ultimately, hope. After five years, 29 medications, multiple hospitalizations, and a system that offered few lasting solutions, Jan’s son Matt found real an...

Can a ketogenic diet help with depression when other options have failed? Emerging suggests the answer may be yes. In this video, Dr. Bret Scher shares the latest clinical data on ketogenic therapy for depression, including two new studies showing meaningful improvements, even remission, in people with moderate to severe symptoms. For individuals struggling with treatment-resistant depression, the...

The second-ever pilot trial (published in the Journal of Affective Disorders ) is making waves: a virtual medically supervised ketogenic diet showed impressive improvements in people with moderate to severe depression, including nearly 7 out of 8 study completers achieving clinical remission. In this interview, Dr. Bret Scher sits down with lead researcher Dr. Elisa Brietzke, Professor of Psychiat...

The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans have arrived, and they’re sparking serious debate. Are we finally seeing a meaningful shift toward metabolic health? What do the guidelines get right, and where is there still room for improvement? To unpack it all, Dr. Bret Scher is joined by two long-time voices in nutrition science: Dr. David Ludwig and Gary Taubes. Together, they dig into what the...

Can a ketogenic diet affect cardiovascular risk? Do nuts belong in a low-carb diet? What about ice cream, supplements, and electrolytes? In this episode of Metabolic Mailbag, Dr. Bret Scher tackles some of the most common and misunderstood questions about ketogenic therapy for metabolic and mental health. From concerns about LDL cholesterol to fears of liver and kidney damage, this conversation cu...

Is carb-loading really the key to endurance and performance? A groundbreaking 100-page publication led by Dr. Andrew Koutnik says it’s time to question the dogma. For decades, athletes have been told that more carbs mean better performance. Strategies like carb-loading before and using sugary gels during exercise have become staples of endurance performance. But recent research has unveiled a shoc...

In this special Metabolic Mailbag episode, cardiologist Dr. Bret Scher steps into the hot seat to answer your most pressing questions about ketogenic therapy, heart health, and metabolic markers. Drawing directly from listener questions, this conversation tackles the confusion and concern many people face when lab results change after starting a ketogenic diet. 📌 In this video, you’ll learn: Why...

The science of metabolic psychiatry is advancing, but the movement behind it is just getting started. In this episode, Dr. Bret Scher sits down with Natasha Smikles and Eddie Rodriguez from Metabolic Collective, a new nonprofit working to build an international advocacy network for ketogenic and metabolic therapies. Their goal: accelerate awareness, adoption, and support for metabolic intervention...

Is caffeine sabotaging your mental health progress? Should you try a carnivore diet if keto isn't working? What if your meds lower ketones? In this new Metabolic Mailbag episode, Dr. Georgia Ede joins Dr. Bret Scher to answer your most pressing questions about metabolic therapies, mental health, and more. Together, they dive into nuanced, evidence-informed conversations about: The real impact of c...

Do SSRIs help your brain? SSRI medications are among the most widely prescribed antidepressants, but what if we’ve misunderstood how they work? In this interview, Dr. Bret Scher sits down with biochemist and nutrition scientist Dr. Chris Masterjohn to explore a deeper, more systemic view of mental health and how we treat it. Dr. Masterjohn reveals why serotonin isn’t just a “mood booster,” how SSR...

Is carb-cycling okay on a ketogenic diet? What about high histamine foods? In this episode of Metabolic Mailbag, Dr. Bret Scher and Dr. Georgia Ede answers questions on everything from the best sources of dietary fat to how to handle anxiety, perimenopause, and alcohol while maintaining ketosis. They unpack how to build a nutrient-dense, brain-supportive ketogenic diet using whole foods, why “keto...

New research links chronic stress, brain energy, and psychiatric conditions, including PTSD, depression, and bipolar disorder. Stress doesn’t just impact your mood; it affects how your brain allocates energy. In this interview, Dr. Bret Scher sits down with Dr. Parker Kelly, a postdoctoral fellow at UCSF and the San Francisco VA, to unpack the Allostatic Triage Model of Psychopathology, a new fram...

Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company behind popular GLP-1 medications like Wegovy and Ozempic, recently announced that its phase 3, two-year trial examining GLP-1 medications for Alzheimer's failed to produce a significant reduction in disease progression. While these results are discouraging, they may have revealed something vital about Alzheimer’s treatment. In this video, Dr. Bret Scher bre...

What if your diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or fatty liver wasn’t a permanent sentence, but a condition that could improve or even reverse through targeted intervention? In this episode of the Metabolic Mind podcast, Dr. Bret Scher sits down with Dr. Adam Wolfberg, Chief Medical Officer at Virta Health, to explore groundbreaking data that challenges the conventional approach to...