Can you get depressed on low carb?
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Can you get depressed on a low-carb diet? Can it worsen the symptoms – or do symptoms of depression usually get better on low carb?
We asked some of the top low-carb doctors in the world to give their quick and spontaneous answers, and made the video above (transcript).
Here are the doctors in the video:
0:16 Dr. Jason Fung
0:37 Dr. Peter Brukner
1:13 Dr. Sarah Hallberg
2:15 Dr. Rangan Chatterjee
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62 comments
The increase in depression symptoms during the first 7-10 days may be related to the transition to ketosis. While improvement is expected after that point, you should work with your medical professional to monitor symptoms. https://www.dietdoctor.com/how-might-a-keto-diet-help-with-depression
Please check in with your doctor. I am sorry that you are not feeling well; it is definitely important to get cleared medically.
I'm having huge mood swings, from relative calm to absolute fury in seconds and taking it out on everyone and everything around me. I haven't cried for months, but the last few days I cry for nothing.
Barely being able to climb the stairs because of muscle pain and lack of breath I can deal with, but this has become a serious bout of depression. Not something to be messed with!
I don't think keto is the cure-all and it's sad that it's being pushed like that. I think the authors of the article need to seriously address this because otherwise, they are just another company pushing their product aggressively. This shouldn't be the case, I'd rather companies push the product to the right people who can really benefit from them.
I've been in keto several times previously and enjoyed the mental clarity and a huge increase in energy. This time I did it just for this purpose because I have issues with brain fog, but now the mood has actually worsened. Day 9 today and I've been having no will to get out of bed since I started. I sleep more and very restless. I feel a strange tingling in my feet and sometimes dizzy. The flu phase should have passed already but I still get headaches. I'm not doing the "dirty keto" and I get 20 g of carbs from various vegetables. I will try to stick to it for a while longer. I'll try to add more green vegies before I quit. If it doesn't help, I'll try to go to a higher carb diet.
I track my micronutrients via Cronometer and it's impossible to get all the nutrients without having lots of veggies (especially fiber). So basically, I think that's the issue here.
A second theory I have is that when I lose weight, maybe some toxins from "melted" fat get dumped into the bloodstream which makes us feel bad. Previously I noticed that if I lose weight my skin worsens for a period. I've read somewhere that some of the toxins we ingest are fat-soluble. That's just my intuition here, no back up for it.
Good luck everyone! Don't give up.
So sorry that you're struggling, Giovanna! Before giving up on low carb, I would recommend checking in with your mental health professional to discuss ways to combat your depression.
Diet Doctor is proud to support all levels of low carb https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/how-low-carb-is-low-carb
It sounds like you may well function best at a more moderate or liberal low carb way of eating. If eating carbs at night affects your blood sugar, you may try eating them earlier in the day.
I am sorry that you are struggling. If you feel it could be a blood sugar issue, please check in with your doctor. Some people also find some relief with a more moderate low carb diet than strict keto, or making a more gradual transition.