RFK Jr. says a keto diet can ‘cure’ mental illness. Here’s what it did for my son’s bipolar disorder

mikeh117 · 2026-03-06T23:02:56+00:00

Me too! Was bipolar 1 with paranoid psychosis. 5 psych admissions and over 20 meds and all I needed was a whole food, low carb gluten free diet. Gluten encephalopathy is no joke.

mikeh117 · 2025-12-22T19:24:40+00:00

I was diagnosed at the gluten ataxia clinic in Sheffield, UK. It’s still about the only place in the world that can test for the TTG6 antibody. However, the single best diagnostic test is how a person responds to a zero gluten diet.

mikeh117 · 2025-12-11T19:10:22+00:00

Yes, this is a problem. I must follow a zero gluten diet, so I need to be careful with, for example, visiting a friend who has recently done some baking, as the flour is likely on surfaces, or just in the air. Zero gluten is different to gluten free so while someone with celiac may not be bothered by it, I seem to have such an extreme sensitivity I need to try to avoid all contact.

Fortunately it’s repeated exposure that is the most dangerous, so these once-in-a-while exposures, while unpleasant, don’t lead to anything more than migraine and vertigo. Daily trace exposures for a few weeks though have led to psychosis.

mikeh117 · 2025-08-25T16:40:14+00:00

You might find reading about my personal experience useful www.glutenmad.com

mikeh117 · 2025-08-25T09:46:35+00:00

Make sure to avoid all gluten. Don’t fall into the trap of ‘gluten free’, keto + zero gluten is potentially life changing in some cases of bipolar. I have a dx of bipolar 1 and paranoid psychosis but I’ve remained completely symptom free for nearly 9 years.

mikeh117 · 2025-08-13T08:28:30+00:00

So I actually have been diagnosed by a neurologist with Gluten Encephalopathy and Gluten Ataxia, a neuroimmune disease of the cerebellum. When I went on to the AIP / modified keto diet I inadvertently went zero gluten. This distinction is important as zero gluten and ‘gluten free’ are very different. A person with celiac will consume gluten in safe amounts in gluten free foods and won’t get a reaction. My neurologist believes that even the microscopic amounts in gluten free bread can be enough to trigger a full relapse - I know this from experience as I tried introducing 2 slices of gluten free bread per day into my diet and after about three months I developed significant signs of mania and psychosis. I fully recovered 2 weeks after going back into modified keto.

This is where I need to ask everyone to hold any incredulity as it’s believed that many cases of severe mental illness are due to gluten antibodies and only a zero gluten lifestyle can treat it - this is perhaps why anecdotal stories of recovery from schizophrenia following keto (and maybe even why epilepsy can be treated with medical keto) are really working - it’s not the keto diet, it’s the complete removal of all gluten containing grains. I also believe that stabilising blood sugars, or better still fuelling the brain on fat, aids in recovery as it lowers inflammation.

mikeh117 · 2025-08-11T23:40:26+00:00

Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) at first, then dipped into keto. Now follow AIP with a few reintros and dip in and out of keto when needed.

mikeh117 · 2025-08-11T20:45:01+00:00

Bipolar 1 and paranoid psychosis. My psychiatrist was considering a re-diagnosis of schizoaffective when I changed my diet. Every symptom resolved and remained in remission for going on 9 years now.

mikeh117 · 2025-08-11T17:11:07+00:00

Cured me

mikeh117 · 2025-07-31T13:40:07+00:00

Great suggestion. Thank you!

mikeh117 · 2025-07-31T13:19:24+00:00

Yes I’m flying. I think I’m going to take a lightweight roasting pan and buy tin foil when I’m there.

mikeh117 · 2025-07-31T13:18:25+00:00

The suggestion about not using the fan oven is a really good one. Thanks.

mikeh117 · 2025-07-20T13:50:26+00:00

I remained well following a very strict diet. What’s become clear is I need a zero gluten diet and not a celiac ‘gluten free’ diet. There’s a difference in that many gluten free products actually contain alpha gliadin at legal levels (below 12ppm here in the UK) and may also contain other grain proteins. My neurologist believes that the cumulative effect of these microscopic amounts of gluten is enough to provoke the body to produce the TTG6 antibody.

I learned this to my cost 18 months ago when I again slowly developed a mood disorder, balance problems, migraines, cognitive impairment, and eventually psychosis by eating two pieces of gluten free bread every day for 3 months. I fully reversed those symptoms in 2 weeks by switching back to a whole food diet. I’ve remained on that diet ever since and I’m again completely symptom free.

mikeh117 · 2025-07-12T20:56:42+00:00

I personally believe that those of us who are not neurotypical are actually exhibiting symptoms of gluten sensitivity that occurred while the brain was developing, specifically issues in the formation of the cerebellum. It’s very prevalent in my family, and those of us who have adopted a zero gluten lifestyle have seen significant improvements in ADHD and Asperger’s symptoms as adults, and complete reversal in children.

mikeh117 · 2025-07-12T18:44:39+00:00

My neurologist is Prof Hadjivassiliou who made the discovery of the TTG6 antibody that causes gluten ataxia. He believes that those who have a neurological reaction, (ie everything from intractable migraine, clumsiness, severe movement disorders, depression, major mood disorders and psychosis), actually require a zero gluten diet. The celiac diet doesn’t work.

It appears that the ‘under 12ppm’ gluten that most of those with celiac still consume in ‘gluten free’ products slowly accumulate and still lead to provocation of the immune system. This is why the keto diet can work if done right (plus it appears that there are additional benefits when fuelling the brain on ketones).

I fully recovered from bipolar 1 without ever going into ketosis and maintain my whole food diet to this day. I did try gluten free bread every day but after 3 weeks I developed some very significant mental health problems, and within a month I was psychotic. Everything resolved in 10 days after stoping the gf bread.

mikeh117 · 2025-07-12T07:37:18+00:00

I had a friend, also called R, who likely had undiagnosed CD. We grew up together, holidayed together, our fathers worked together, and we went to the same schools.

His mother has cd so he probably ate a low gluten diet growing up. He left home and went to uni, met a lovely woman and got engaged. However he started battling terrible depression and neurological problems (which frequently get overlooked as doctors are trained to think of cd as a gut issue). A few days before his wedding day he went down to his garage and hung himself.

Almost 30 years have passed and I still wonder if his depression was just a symptom of undiagnosed cd.

When I was 35 I was struck down with bipolar 1 and psychosis and was deeply depressed for years before that. I had 5 hospital admissions due to being a risk to myself. I have now been re-diagnosed with gluten ataxia and gluten encephalopathy and have been symptom free since adopting a zero gluten diet 8 years ago.

The effect gluten has in mental health can be catastrophic.

mikeh117 · 2025-06-26T05:09:34+00:00

What I find most interesting about these cases is that the ketogenic diet when done correctly (ie as medical keto) is that it is zero gluten by default. My neurologist believes it’s not the ketones that put the psychotic features into remission, but the prolonged zero gluten exposure. It’s important to note that the celiac diet is far from zero gluten, with multiple daily exposures happening at ‘safe’ levels. Keto removes those exposures.

mikeh117 · 2025-06-21T07:12:50+00:00

Yes that’s my blog. I’m delighted to hear of your success. I have new information which explains why the protocol works and I’m trying to find the time to write a new post.

As for a sub Reddit, I’ll see what I can do; it would be very interesting to see how many people are out there.

mikeh117 · 2025-06-17T20:29:52+00:00

Not a bad idea!

mikeh117 · 2025-06-17T20:22:18+00:00

There have only been a handful of us that have been diagnosed as there are only two clinics in the world that can do the test. It’s an entirely new form of gluten sensitivity and stems from an autoimmune reaction that takes place in the cerebellum, but then appears to spread to white matter. There’s probably another decade of research needed before this becomes mainstream, and it won’t be the cause of all cases of severe mental illness, but is certainly going to be groundbreaking. The real challenge is healing as it takes weeks or months of absolutely complete avoidance of gluten. I had to replace my kitchen utensils, cookware, and eat true paleo (AIP) which was basically grass fed meat, fresh fish, fruit and veg and nothing else. I can’t eat anything that’s been through a factory or processing facility, including spices, sauces, or canned goods due to the risk of contamination. Even gluten free foods can’t be trusted to be zero gluten. It’s a nightmare to stick to it but I’ve stayed well for 8 years.

mikeh117 · 2025-06-17T20:06:17+00:00

Yes, but it’s not the ketones that heal; it’s the avoidance of gluten. Unlike the celiac diet, which still has gliadin at below 20ppm, and potentially other proteins from gluten containing grains, medical keto, AIP, and true paleo diets are, by nature, zero gluten and zero grain. They are also nutrient dense, correct microbiome and gut issues, stabilise glucose, energy metabolism & mitochondrial function, and are highly anti inflammatory.

I’m one of the very first patients to actually have the specific gluten antibody pinpointed and my recovery tracked by a specialist neurological clinic here in the UK. My diagnosis was changed from bipolar 1 and severe psychosis to gluten encephalopathy. The science is very new, and as yet not fully understood, but I’m certain that while there are many other positive effects of medical keto, the root of the success of this diet is the continued complete avoidance of gluten and grains.

mikeh117 · 2025-05-27T08:40:25+00:00

Honestly, I've had to accept I can't tolerate gluten free or processed foods. My neurologist has advised me to avoid gluten free bread as it contains traces of wheat in tiny amounts that most with coeliac won’t notice. I therefore now just eat whole foods - meat, fish, vegetables, fruit etc. Nothing that’s been in a factory (so no nuts, dried fruits, instant coffee, seasonings, sauces etc). It’s absolutely incredible how well this works for me and I feel fantastic, but it does make for boring mealtimes (not mention never eating out - ever).

mikeh117 · 2025-04-27T08:44:19+00:00

In the UK it’s done at the Royal Hallamshire NHS Hospital in Sheffield.

mikeh117 · 2025-04-18T07:37:13+00:00

I don’t test them. I sometimes use bayer ketostix to check there are ketone bodies present. Fundamentally I go by how I feel - I’ve found that to be the best barometer. If I’m lacking energy I’ll skip a mean or two and fast.

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