Brain Energy: A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health—and Improving Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, and More

by Christopher M. Palmer

mitochondrial biogenesis.

Epigenetics provides a memory of what the body has been through.

The circadian rhythm is largely driven by two things—light and food. It gets synchronized to cycles of light or dark and feeding or fasting.

Problems sleeping can exacerbate all mental and metabolic disorders.

pills like this don’t automatically stimulate mitochondrial biogenesis or mitophagy. But dietary interventions, good sleep, stress reduction, removing mitochondrially impairing medications, and exercise can!

Fasting-mimicking diets can replicate the benefits of fasting for longer periods of time without the risk of starvation. The best-known example is the ketogenic diet. You likely recall that it was this diet and its profound impact on one of my patients that led me on this journey.

The ketogenic diet is now the best-studied dietary intervention for its effects on the brain. Neurologists, neuroscientists, and pharmaceutical companies have been studying this diet for decades trying to better understand its anticonvulsant effects. It provides an alternate fuel source, which can be a lifeline to insulin-resistant brain cells. It also changes neurotransmitter levels, regulates calcium channels, decreases inflammation, improves the gut microbiome, increases overall metabolic rate, reduces insulin resistance itself, and most importantly, induces both mitophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis.35 After people are on this diet for months or years, their cells have more healthy mitochondria. This can result in long-term healing. Many people can stop the diet after two to five years and remain well.