Dr Erin Bellamy is a recipient of the Metabolic Psychiatry Scholar Award

Dr Erin Louise Bellamy
Apr 15
2 min read

Dr Erin Bellamy, PhD, began exploring ketogenic diets in psychiatric care nearly a decade ago. She noticed patients rarely achieved lasting relief from conventional medications. Drawing from low-carb diabetes studies showing mood benefits and a 1965 schizophrenia trial, Bellamy pursued a PhD at the University of East London on remotely provided ketogenic therapy for depression. This model enables safe home-based implementation for remote or severely ill patients, optimising ketogenic metabolic therapy for mental health.

Overcoming Scaling Challenges

Clinical trials for severe mental illnesses face recruitment and adherence issues, yet the global mental health crisis demands innovative solutions. Through her practice, Integrative Ketogenic Research and Therapies (IKRT), Bellamy provides remote programs blending education, nutrition guidance, ketone monitoring, symptom tracking, and peer support. Despite initial skepticism, her commitment drives open-access research to benefit patients beyond academic walls.

Metabolic Psychiatry Scholar Award

The Baszucki Group's Metabolic Psychiatry Scholar Award funds early-career researchers advancing metabolic-mental health links, offering funding over 18 months per scholar, plus mentorship, training, and networking. One of six 2025 recipients, Dr Bellamy plans to expand her University of East London team, boost participant recruitment, blend quantitative and qualitative methods, and foster cross-disciplinary collaborations. This validation accelerates her vision:

"This award is going to push this research at a rate that absolutely was not possible until now."

Path to Global Impact

Bellamy targets conditions like anxiety, bipolar, and schizophrenia using therapeutic ketosis alongside standard care. Her priorities, mechanisms, clinical integration, and implementation science align with the award's goals. By emphasising remote delivery and accessibility, Dr Erin Bellamy says that ketogenic therapy could transform outcomes for millions searching for metabolic treatments for psychiatric disorders. The study has been registered and can be viewed here. https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN96463686.

Want to take part?

If you'd like to take part in this research, please visit this page for further information: https://bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk/trial-details/trial-detail?trialId=59303&location=&distance=

What does this mean in simple terms?

Ketogenic diets (high-fat, low-carb) shift the brain to burn ketones for fuel, potentially easing symptoms of depression, schizophrenia, and more.
The award provides funding to speed up research studies, testing if this therapy works for more people, and if so, how to roll it out globally.
It's not a cure-all but a promising add-on to medications and therapy, focusing on brain metabolism.
Patients in remote areas or with severe illness gain new options for care through a scalable ketogenic therapy for mental health program.