Baszucki Group Backs Oxford University Trial Exploring Ketogenic Therapy for Early Psychosis
Baszucki Group has announced a £1.17 million grant to support a pioneering clinical trial at the University of Oxford aimed at evaluating whether a ketogenic diet could help prevent the development of psychosis in individuals considered at clinical high risk. The study represents one of the first randomized controlled trials to investigate ketogenic therapy as a potential early intervention for serious mental illness, offering new hope for patients who currently have few targeted treatment options.
The trial will focus on individuals classified as being at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (CHR-P), a condition identified by subtle but concerning symptoms that may precede the onset of psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. Researchers believe this early stage presents a critical opportunity for intervention before severe psychiatric illness fully develops.
Psychotic disorders are among the most debilitating mental health conditions worldwide, carrying profound personal, social, and economic consequences. In addition to causing emotional and psychological distress, psychosis is associated with reduced quality of life, impaired functioning, and significantly shorter life expectancy. Despite advances in identifying individuals at risk, there remains no approved or widely effective preventive treatment specifically designed to reduce the likelihood of progression to full psychosis.
The University of Oxford study seeks to address this unmet medical need by exploring whether metabolic therapy in the form of a ketogenic diet can improve mental and physical health outcomes in vulnerable patients. The project builds upon growing scientific evidence suggesting that metabolic dysfunction and impaired brain energy utilization may play an important role in the development of psychiatric disorders.
The randomized controlled trial will enroll 50 participants between the ages of 14 and 35 who meet the criteria for CHR-P. Participants will be randomly assigned to either a 12-week modified ketogenic diet or a control diet. Throughout the study, researchers will carefully monitor the participants’ mental health symptoms, cognitive function, sleep patterns, and physical health indicators.
To Baszucki measure symptom severity, investigators will use the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States (CAARMS), a specialized clinical tool designed to evaluate young individuals who may be at risk of developing psychosis. Researchers hope the assessment will provide detailed insights into how ketogenic therapy affects psychiatric symptoms over time.
Participants following the ketogenic diet will receive ongoing support from registered dietitians to help maintain adherence to the nutritional plan. They will also use glucose and ketone monitoring kits to track metabolic changes and ensure they remain in a therapeutic ketogenic state. These monitoring tools are expected to provide important information about how metabolic changes correlate with symptom improvement.
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate nutritional approach that shifts the body’s primary energy source from glucose to ketones. Originally developed as a treatment for epilepsy, the diet has increasingly gained attention for its potential effects on neurological and psychiatric conditions. Emerging evidence suggests ketogenic therapy may help improve mitochondrial function, reduce inflammation, stabilize brain energy metabolism, and support cognitive performance.
Researchers involved in the Oxford trial believe these biological mechanisms may be particularly relevant in psychosis prevention. Recent studies have indicated that disruptions in brain energy metabolism and mitochondrial dysfunction could contribute to the development of psychotic disorders. Scientists are increasingly exploring whether correcting these metabolic abnormalities could improve psychiatric outcomes.
Because most CHR-P patients do not typically receive antipsychotic medications during the early risk stage, the study provides a rare opportunity to evaluate ketogenic therapy as a stand-alone intervention. This could allow researchers to understand better the direct effects of the diet without the confounding influence of psychiatric medications.
In addition to evaluating clinical symptoms, the Oxford research team plans to investigate the biological mechanisms underlying both psychosis risk and ketogenic therapy. A subgroup of participants will undergo advanced metabolic assessments, including blood biomarker analysis and neuroimaging studies designed to measure brain energy metabolism directly.
These investigations may help researchers identify biomarkers associated with psychosis risk and determine whether improvements in metabolic function correlate with better mental health outcomes. If successful, the findings could pave the way for more personalized preventive strategies for psychiatric illness.
Amedeo Minichino, MD, DPhil, CCT, Associate Professor, Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist, and Wellcome Trust Early Career Fellow at the University of Oxford, is leading the study. He described ketogenic therapy as a potentially accessible and non-stigmatizing intervention for individuals experiencing early warning signs of psychosis.
According to Minichino, intervening during the early risk stage may offer an opportunity to alter the long-term course of mental illness before psychotic symptoms become severe and chronic. He emphasized that the team hopes the research will ultimately improve long-term mental well-being for patients by targeting the critical period before psychosis fully develops.
The study also includes a long-term follow-up component. Researchers will continue monitoring participants’ health outcomes for up to three years after the 12-week intervention using electronic health records. This extended follow-up is intended to determine whether ketogenic therapy may have lasting effects on mental health, disease progression, and overall well-being.
The trial is being funded by Baszucki Group, an organization that has become increasingly involved in supporting research focused on metabolic approaches to mental health treatment. The group has played a major role in promoting awareness of the connection between metabolism and psychiatric disorders through its Metabolic Mind initiative.
Jan Ellison Baszucki, co-founder and president of Baszucki Group, described the Oxford study as an important step toward understanding how ketogenic therapy may influence both mental and physical health in vulnerable individuals.
She noted that the project represents a unique opportunity to study ketogenic therapy in a largely medication-naive population, potentially allowing researchers to gain deeper insights into the fundamental relationship between metabolism and serious mental illness.
Baszucki also expressed enthusiasm about supporting what she described as a first-of-its-kind trial at one of the world’s leading research institutions. She said the organization hopes the study will contribute to a broader understanding of how metabolic therapies could transform the treatment and prevention of psychiatric conditions in the future.
Interest in metabolic psychiatry has grown significantly in recent years as researchers continue exploring the role of energy metabolism in brain health. Several early studies and case reports have suggested that ketogenic diets may improve symptoms in conditions including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety. However, large-scale controlled trials remain limited, particularly in preventive psychiatric care.
The Oxford study could therefore represent a major milestone in the field by providing rigorous scientific data on ketogenic therapy in individuals at high risk of psychosis. If the intervention proves effective, it could eventually offer clinicians a new, low-cost, and accessible treatment strategy for reducing the progression to severe mental illness.
The implications of such findings could extend far beyond psychosis prevention. Researchers believe the study may also help advance a broader understanding of how nutrition, metabolism, and brain function interact in mental health disorders. This emerging area of research has the potential to reshape traditional approaches to psychiatric treatment by incorporating metabolic and nutritional therapies alongside conventional care.
As the trial moves forward, mental health experts and patient advocacy groups will be closely watching the results. With few preventive treatments currently available for individuals at risk of psychosis, the study offers a promising new avenue for intervention that could help improve outcomes and quality of life for vulnerable patients worldwide.
The University of Oxford research team and Baszucki Group hope the project will not only generate important scientific insights but also inspire greater investment in metabolic psychiatry research. If successful, the trial could mark an important turning point in efforts to develop earlier, safer, and more effective interventions for serious mental illness.
About Baszucki Group
Launched in 2021 by Roblox founder and Chief Executive Officer David Baszucki and best-selling author Jan Ellison Baszucki, Baszucki Group leverages grantmaking, impact investing, advocacy, storytelling, and community building to drive foundational change in science, medicine, farming, food, and environmental ecosystems. A primary focus of the Baszucki Group is supporting initiatives at the intersection of metabolism, psychiatry, and neuroscience to improve mental health outcomes. To learn more about metabolic approaches to mental disorders and brain health, including ketogenic therapy, visit Metabolic Mind, a nonprofit initiative of Baszucki Group.
