Can a Remote Ketogenic Therapy Program Really Improve Depression and Anxiety?
- Dr Erin Louise Bellamy
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Can a Remote Ketogenic Therapy Program Really Improve Depression and Anxiety?
At IKRT, we are often asked: “Can an online ketogenic therapy program actually move the needle on depression and anxiety, or is it just another internet promise?” To help answer that, we audited 19 adults who completed the IKRT Foundations Program and published the results in Frontiers in Nutrition (Bellamy, 2026).
How the IKRT Foundations Program works
Foundations is a 6‑month metabolic mental health program, with the first 12 weeks forming the core intervention evaluated in the study (Bellamy, 2026). It is delivered fully online from the United Kingdom, with clients joining from across Europe, the USA and beyond. The program combines:
Eight hours of pre‑recorded education on the science, safety and practicalities of ketogenic therapy for mental health.
Weekly live group Q&A and support calls with Dr Bellamy.
Personalised macronutrient targets and practical food guidance.
Ketone monitoring, symptom questionnaires and baseline blood tests.
This structure makes it accessible to people who cannot easily attend in‑person clinics whether they live in rural Scotland, central London, Spain or elsewhere in the world while still receiving professional guidance.
Who took part in the study?
The audit included 19 self‑referred adults with at least mild symptoms of depression and/or anxiety at baseline (PHQ‑9 and GAD‑7 scores > 4; Bellamy, 2026). Participants were paying clients in routine practice, not research volunteers given free treatment, which makes the findings closer to “real‑world” outcomes.
Diagnoses were diverse and included unipolar depression, generalised anxiety, bipolar spectrum conditions and psychotic‑spectrum and trauma‑related difficulties. All participants continued to work with their existing healthcare providers where relevant.
What changed in depression and anxiety?
Over the 12‑week period, Bellamy reported:
Depression (PHQ‑9). Mean PHQ‑9 scores decreased from 13 (moderate) to 5 (mild), a 62% reduction; 71% of participants achieved a clinically meaningful improvement (≥5‑point reduction), and 47% reached remission (PHQ‑9 < 5).
Anxiety (GAD‑7). Mean GAD‑7 scores decreased from 13 (moderate) to 7, a 46% reduction; 79% achieved a clinically meaningful improvement (≥4‑point reduction), and 47% reached remission (GAD‑7 ≤ 5).
No serious adverse events were reported, and all participants completed the 12‑week core phase. Short‑term side effects, such as fatigue, irritability, headache or temporary sleep disruption, tended to resolve within roughly two weeks with support and programme adjustments.
How well did people stick to the ketogenic diet?
Adherence is central to any dietary intervention. In this audit, participants were in nutritional ketosis, defined as β‑hydroxybutyrate > 0.5 mmol/L, approximately 85% of the time, with mean morning blood ketone levels around 1.1 mmol/L.
Practically, this suggests that most clients followed the protocol closely enough to achieve measurable metabolic change, despite varied life circumstances.
What this means, and what it doesn’t
The findings suggest that a remote, group‑based ketogenic metabolic therapy program can be feasible, acceptable and potentially effective as part of a broader mental health care plan. However, this study does not demonstrate causality because there was no control group.
These limitations align with broader calls in metabolic psychiatry for larger, adequately powered randomised controlled trials and standardised outcome measures (Laurent et al., 2024; Precision Global Conferences, 2025). For this reason, IKRT is now collaborating with the University of East London, on a 24‑week pilot trial of online ketogenic metabolic therapy for depression and anxiety in the UK (Bellamy, 2026).
Is a remote ketogenic therapy program right for you?
A structured online ketogenic therapy program may be helpful if you:
Live in an area with limited access to metabolic or metabolic psychiatry expertise.
Have tried multiple medications or therapies and still experience significant mental health symptoms.
Prefer learning in groups, with a mix of education, Q&A and community support.
Online ketogenic therapy programs are also available at IKRT on a 1:1 basis, for those who prefer working in a private capacity.
It may not be appropriate if you:
Are pregnant or planning pregnancy in the next six months.
Have specific medical conditions where ketogenic diets are contraindicated.
In all cases, we encourage clients and readers to discuss significant dietary changes with their GP, psychiatrist or other prescribing clinician, especially when taking medications for diabetes, blood pressure or epilepsy (Bellamy, 2026; Laurent et al., 2024).
Useful Links
Read the full paper, for free, here:
At IKRT, we offer a range of programs designed to educate and support you in ketogenic metabolic therapy. If you are interested in learning more, please visit:
If you want to make sure you are eating the right foods for ketogenic metabolic therapy, you can start here:
References
Bellamy, E. L. (2026). A retrospective evaluation of an online group ketogenic metabolic therapy intervention on mental health outcomes. Frontiers in Nutrition, 13, 1751564. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2026.1751564
Laurent, N., Bellamy, E. L., Hristova, D., & Houston, A. (2024). Ketogenic diets in clinical psychology: Examining the evidence and implications for practice. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1468894. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1468894
Precision Global Conferences. (2025). Dietary interventions and cognitive function across the dementia continuum: A systematic review, meta‑analysis, meta‑regression and call to action for research reform [Conference abstract]. Dementia World Conference 2026.
