About this episode
Dr. Bret Scher interviews Dr. Guido Frank about a clinical trial of ketogenic therapy for anorexia nervosa.
Anorexia nervosa has one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric illness, yet effective biological treatments remain limited. For many people living with the condition, even after successful weight normalization, persistent psychological symptoms, including obsessive thoughts about food, shape, and weight, continue to drive relapse. In this conversation, Dr. Bret Scher sits down with Dr. Guido Frank, Professor of Psychiatry at UC San Diego with over 25 years of experience in eating disorder treatment, to discuss results from the first-ever clinical trial of ketogenic therapy in anorexia nervosa. This 14-week supervised feasibility trial enrolled 22 individuals with weight-normalized anorexia nervosa. Among the 18 study completers: ✅ 72% scored in the recovered range on eating disorder assessments, no longer meeting the criteria for an anorexia nervosa diagnosis ✅ 100% of study completers saw improvements in depression symptoms, with 72% scoring within the normal range. ✅ Participants did not experience significant weight change throughout the study In this conversation, Dr. Frank also discusses: What led a self-described skeptic to investigate ketogenic therapy for…
People in this episode
Host: Dr. Bret Scher
Guest: Dr. Guido Frank
Topics covered
- anorexia nervosa
- ketogenic therapy
- eating disorders
- mental health
- clinical trial
Keywords
- anorexia
- ketogenic diet
- eating disorder treatment
- mental clarity
- depression symptoms
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: UC San Diego
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