RFK Jr.'s Bold Dietary Claims on Mental Health Spark Expert Scrutiny
During the inaugural event of his "Take Back Your Health" tour in Nashville, Tennessee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made sweeping assertions about the profound impact of diet on mental health. Speaking to promote new national dietary guidelines, the Health and Human Services Secretary suggested that the foods we eat could both trigger and resolve certain psychiatric conditions.
"We now know that the things that you eat are driving mental illness in this country. And Dr. Pollan, up at Harvard, has cured schizophrenia using keto diets," Kennedy declared, likely misspeaking and intending to reference Dr. Chris Palmer, a researcher who has studied the ketogenic diet's effects on mental disorders.
Kennedy continued, "There are studies right now that I saw two days ago where people lose their bipolar diagnosis by changing their diet. It's not only affecting our physical health; it's affecting our mental health as well, and we're asking people now, eat real food — eat protein. Eat fruit, eat vegetables, eat high-fiber grains."
Experts Weigh In: Nuance Beyond the Headlines
Medical professionals interviewed by HuffPost acknowledge that Kennedy's statements contain elements of truth but emphasize that the reality is far more complex. Nicole Lippman-Barile, a clinical psychologist, notes that Kennedy's messaging aligns with his "Make America Health Again" campaign's "natural is better" philosophy.
"Diet fits into what is considered 'natural' because it's not part of the pharmaceutical company ... and we can use these things and they can make us better than things that are not 'natural,'" Lippman-Barile explained. Kennedy has previously criticized psychiatric medications, making unsubstantiated claims about their addictiveness and links to violence.
The Science Behind Diet and Mental Health
While research into nutrition's role in mental illness is ongoing, experts unanimously agree that labeling keto as a "cure" is a significant overstatement. Dr. Brooke Resch, a psychiatrist based in Minnesota, stated in an Instagram video that while some evidence suggests potential benefits, there is not "a ton at this point" to support keto as a standalone treatment.
Dr. Chris Palmer's work, which Kennedy likely referenced, explores the ketogenic diet's potential effects on conditions like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. However, Lippman-Barile points out that his studies often involve small sample sizes and short durations, lacking long-term data.
"We also have no long-term studies looking at the keto diet and what that does for mental illness," she cautioned.
Nutritional Psychiatry: Augmentation, Not Replacement
Dr. Drew Ramsey, a psychiatrist and leader in nutritional psychiatry, told HuffPost that most trials in this field focus on depression using Mediterranean diets. He noted that depression symptoms improved when a Mediterranean diet was combined with other interventions like antidepressants, therapy, or exercise.
Ramsey expressed confidence in the ketogenic diet for patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder but refrained from calling it a cure. "We've known that a ketogenic diet and dietary interventions are really important and can be helpful in augmenting care and mental health," he said. "Augmentation means you're taking an antidepressant or getting therapy or in an exercise program — you're doing some stuff for your depression, [but] you're not getting all the way better."
He emphasized that keto and other dietary changes do not always work and should not be viewed as sole treatments for serious mental illnesses.
Risks and Realities of Dietary Interventions
The ketogenic diet carries its own risks, particularly as a meat-heavy plan that may increase cardiovascular disease risk. "An increase in cardiovascular risk is a risk factor for serious mental illness like depression," Lippman-Barile added.
She also highlighted correlations between digestive disorders and higher risks of depression and anxiety, stressing the importance of diet and stress management in such contexts. Diets high in ultra-processed foods have been linked to elevated risks of depression and anxiety, though diet alone is not the sole cause.
"Another thing to consider here is that just about any dietary change is going to improve outcomes over the standard American diet, because the standard American diet is really quite nutritionally poor," Resch remarked on Instagram.
The Problem with "Cure" Terminology
Kennedy's use of the word "cure" has drawn particular criticism from experts. Ramsey described it as "overly enthusiastic," explaining that "cure" implies the absence of symptoms, which is not applicable to mental health conditions that are often genetic and lifelong.
"When we say, 'cure,' that's a language that isn't helpful because these illnesses are in our genes, and so until we have gene therapy, we're not going to 'cure mental illness,'" Ramsey stated. Instead, he advocates for the term "recovery," achievable through proper treatment that may include diet alongside medication, therapy, and exercise.
"We are using dietary interventions alongside our evidence-based treatments, not to replace them," Ramsey clarified. "If you eat real food ― more protein, more vegetables and fewer processed foods ― you will have better mental health outcomes with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and depression, according to the most recent data. It does not mean that this is the exclusive treatment for these conditions, nor does it mean that the treatments we have are not effective. Our treatments are very effective."
A Holistic Approach to Mental Health Care
Lippman-Barile emphasized that mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are complex, lifelong conditions requiring multifaceted care. "There's no one solution," she said. "'Holistic,' evidence-based care is a variety of interventions. It's not just one intervention."
Care can encompass medication, exercise, stress management, and diet, but Kennedy's assertion that dietary changes alone can "cure" these disorders is considered grossly overstated.
"I'm going to pick lithium over ketogenic diets every day until the evidence says otherwise," Ramsey asserted, referencing lithium's established role in treating bipolar disorder.
Resch echoed this caution in her Instagram post: "I would just say at this point, the keto diet is not there yet, and even the folks who are studying this and research this say pretty much the same thing."
She added, "We should probably be looking into it more. We should probably understand it better ... it makes sense as a potential future treatment recommendation, because we know that the keto diet is very evidence-based for certain seizure conditions, and there are also seizure medications that we use with good effect in psychiatry. So, it is quite possible, and I'm not really writing this off, but I wouldn't make sensationalist claims, big statements to folks who may be saying, 'Oh gosh, I'm going to start the keto diet now to help take care of my psychosis or my mood disorder,' and then they end up causing themselves more harm than good."
Seeking Reliable Information
As psychiatric research evolves, Lippman-Barile advises the public to consult reputable organizations like the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association for evidence-based information. These groups are dedicated to disseminating proven treatments for disorders such as bipolar and schizophrenia while continuously evaluating new, scientifically supported approaches to improve patient outcomes.
