In this special episode of Metabolic Mind, Dr. Julie Milder, Director of Neuroscience at Baszucki Group, speaks with Dr. Fabiano Gomes, psychiatrist and researcher at McMaster University, and the inaugural recipient of the Baszucki Group Metabolic Psychiatry Scholar Award. Dr. Gomes recently published a pilot feasibility trial of a ketogenic diet for depression in the Journal of Affective Disorders. In this conversation, he shares how the study came together, what the results revealed, and why metabolic approaches may offer new hope for people struggling with treatment-resistant depression.
In this episode, they discuss:
The pilot ketogenic diet trial for depression and its key findings
How the study successfully transitioned to a fully remote clinical trial during COVID
What the results suggest about feasibility, adherence, and clinical improvements
The role of nutritional ketosis in mood disorders and metabolic psychiatry
Dr. Gomes’ vision for launching a Metabolic Psychiatry Clinic in Canada
Plans to integrate biomarkers, brain imaging, and real-world clinical care
The importance of training clinicians and dietitians to expand access to metabolic therapies
Dr. Gomes’s work represents an exciting step forward in the growing field of metabolic psychiatry, which explores how metabolism and brain energy may influence conditions like depression, bipolar disorder, and other mental health disorders. The conversation also highlights the importance of building clinical infrastructure and training programs to make metabolic therapies more accessible to patients today.
/ juliemilder
/ dr.fabianogomes
