Episode
Dr. Chris Palmer: Diet & Nutrition for Mental Health
3:02:05
Published: Mon Nov 21 2022
Description
My guest this episode is Chris Palmer, M.D., a board-certified psychiatrist and assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He explains the important connection between nutrition, metabolism and mental health and his pioneering work using the ketogenic diet to successfully treat patients with various mental illnesses, including depression and schizophrenia. Dr. Palmer explains how the ketogenic diet is an evidenced-based treatment for epilepsy, mimics the fasted state and can offset the cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s. He describes the key roles of mitochondria in mental health, how certain conditions likely arise from mitochondrial dysfunction, and how low-carbohydrate diets increase mitochondrial turnover to improve mental health. He also explains how low-carbohydrate diets positively impact the gut microbiome and weight loss, important risk factors for mitochondrial health such as marijuana and alcohol, and the best way to increase circulating ketones depending on individual needs. We also cover how a ketogenic diet impacts mood, sleep, and fertility. Dr. Palmer’s work stands as a revolutionary approach to mental health and disease that, given the prevalence of mental health challenges, should be of interest to people of all backgrounds and ages. For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Thesis: https://takethesis.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Dr. Chris Palmer, Mental Health & Metabolic Disorders (00:03:42) Sponsors: LMNT, Thesis, Momentous (00:07:18) Nutrition & Mental Health (00:20:43) Low-Carb Diets & Anti-Depression, Fasting, Ketosis (00:27:52) Schizophrenia, Depression & Ketogenic Diet (00:33:58) Sponsor: AG1 (00:35:38) Psychiatric Mediations, Diet Adherence (00:42:35) Highly Processed Foods, Ketones & Mental Health Benefits (00:46:51) Ketogenic Diet & Epilepsy Treatment (00:56:10) Ketogenic Diet & Mitochondria Health (00:57:05) Nutrition & Benefits for Neurologic/Psychiatric Disorders (01:05:44) Mitochondrial Function & Mental Health (01:15:12) InsideTracker (01:16:23) Mitophagy, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Aging & Diet (01:25:09) Neurons, Mitochondria & Blood Glucose (01:31:54) Obesity, Ketogenic Diet & Mitochondria (01:40:00) Mitochondrial Function: Inheritance, Risk Factors, Marijuana (01:46:34) Alcohol & Ketogenic Diet (01:55:21) Brain Imaging, Alzheimer’s Disease & Ketones (02:01:05) Exogenous (Liquid) Ketones vs. Ketogenic Diet (02:06:27) Neuronal Damage, Ketones & Glucose (02:10:16) Alzheimer’s Disease, Age-Related Cognitive Decline & Ketogenic Diet (02:23:45) Ketogenic Diet & Weight Loss (02:35:47) Ketogenic Diet & Fasting, Hypomania, Sleep (02:46:37) Low Carbohydrate Diets, Menstrual Cycles, Fertility (02:52:23) Obesity Epidemic, Semaglutide & GLP-1 Medications (03:01:01) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous Supplements, Neural Network Newsletter, Social Media Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer
Chapters
Dr. Chris Palmer shares how mitochondrial function can impact mental health and how specific diets, including the ketogenic diet, can be used to alleviate psychiatric disorders.
00:00 - 02:28 (02:28)
Summary
Dr. Chris Palmer shares how mitochondrial function can impact mental health and how specific diets, including the ketogenic diet, can be used to alleviate psychiatric disorders. He emphasizes that these diet interventions were originally developed for neurological conditions rather than weight loss.
EpisodeDr. Chris Palmer: Diet & Nutrition for Mental Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
Roca designed glasses and sunglasses that cater to the biology of the visual system, while 8 Sleep's highest quality foam adjusts bed temperature, ensuring the best night's sleep.
02:28 - 09:22 (06:53)
Summary
Roca designed glasses and sunglasses that cater to the biology of the visual system, while 8 Sleep's highest quality foam adjusts bed temperature, ensuring the best night's sleep. There's also an advertisement for 8 Sleep offering a discount.
EpisodeDr. Chris Palmer: Diet & Nutrition for Mental Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
A psychiatrist shares his personal journey of overcoming metabolic syndrome through changing his diet and how it led him to recognize the importance of nutrition in mental health.
09:22 - 17:06 (07:43)
Summary
A psychiatrist shares his personal journey of overcoming metabolic syndrome through changing his diet and how it led him to recognize the importance of nutrition in mental health.
EpisodeDr. Chris Palmer: Diet & Nutrition for Mental Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
The road to success is not smooth, even for high-functioning individuals like our guest.
17:08 - 22:36 (05:28)
Summary
The road to success is not smooth, even for high-functioning individuals like our guest. It is important to acknowledge and share our struggles along the way to inspire others and create a community that prioritizes mental health and well-being.
EpisodeDr. Chris Palmer: Diet & Nutrition for Mental Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
A doctor discovered that a ketogenic diet had a powerful antidepressant effect on some of his patients and decided to try it out on others who were out of options.
22:36 - 28:10 (05:33)
Summary
A doctor discovered that a ketogenic diet had a powerful antidepressant effect on some of his patients and decided to try it out on others who were out of options.
EpisodeDr. Chris Palmer: Diet & Nutrition for Mental Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
Antipsychotics that block dopamine receptors, the classical medications for schizophrenia, make people feel lousy and can cause huge increases in prolactin, leading to various side effects.
28:10 - 34:07 (05:57)
Summary
Antipsychotics that block dopamine receptors, the classical medications for schizophrenia, make people feel lousy and can cause huge increases in prolactin, leading to various side effects.
EpisodeDr. Chris Palmer: Diet & Nutrition for Mental Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
Dr. Andrew Huberman discusses the importance of gut microbiota in relation to our overall health including its impact on antidepressants and the difficulty some individuals have adhering to a ketogenic diet.
34:07 - 39:11 (05:03)
Summary
Dr. Andrew Huberman discusses the importance of gut microbiota in relation to our overall health including its impact on antidepressants and the difficulty some individuals have adhering to a ketogenic diet.
EpisodeDr. Chris Palmer: Diet & Nutrition for Mental Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
The insulin signaling system in the brain is impaired in patients with chronic mental disorders like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's disease.
39:11 - 46:40 (07:29)
Summary
The insulin signaling system in the brain is impaired in patients with chronic mental disorders like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's disease. The removal of highly processed foods and focus on non-processed or minimally processed foods can assist with the insulin resistance factor.
EpisodeDr. Chris Palmer: Diet & Nutrition for Mental Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
The ketogenic diet was originally developed by a physician 100 years ago to treat epilepsy, and is one of the oldest examples of the use of nutrition to treat a condition of the nervous system.
46:40 - 59:16 (12:35)
Summary
The ketogenic diet was originally developed by a physician 100 years ago to treat epilepsy, and is one of the oldest examples of the use of nutrition to treat a condition of the nervous system. It is still used as a treatment for epilepsy today, and has also been shown to have other health benefits.
EpisodeDr. Chris Palmer: Diet & Nutrition for Mental Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
Mitochondria have a greater impact on gene expression and the stress response than previously realized, which was determined when mitochondria were genetically modified and all major aspects of the stress response were impacted.
59:16 - 1:36:31 (37:14)
Summary
Mitochondria have a greater impact on gene expression and the stress response than previously realized, which was determined when mitochondria were genetically modified and all major aspects of the stress response were impacted. Fasting and fasting-mimicking diets hyper-stimulate autophagy, a process that can aid in longevity and allocate resources more conservatively in the body.
EpisodeDr. Chris Palmer: Diet & Nutrition for Mental Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
The efficacy of the keto diet in relation to Alzheimer's and age-related cognitive decline is discussed in this episode of FoundMyFitness.
1:36:31 - 2:44:09 (1:07:37)
Summary
The efficacy of the keto diet in relation to Alzheimer's and age-related cognitive decline is discussed in this episode of FoundMyFitness. Although the scientific evidence is limited to small clinical trials and animal studies, it remains encouraging.
EpisodeDr. Chris Palmer: Diet & Nutrition for Mental Health
PodcastHuberman Lab
Dr. Mark Hyman discusses the possible effects of ketogenic diet on hormonal status to prevent pregnancy in women and how some women benefited from the diet after struggling with infertility.
2:44:09 - 3:04:07 (19:57)
Summary
Dr. Mark Hyman discusses the possible effects of ketogenic diet on hormonal status to prevent pregnancy in women and how some women benefited from the diet after struggling with infertility. He also shares his thoughts on semaglutide and other GLP-related compounds to treat obesity.