Baszucki Group Funds UAB Study Evaluating Ketogenic Therapy for Bipolar Disorder in Rural Alabama
Baszucki Group has announced funding for a new clinical study investigating the potential psychiatric and metabolic effects of ketogenic therapy in people living with bipolar disorder in rural Central Alabama. The six-month study, led by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Heersink School of Medicine Montgomery Regional Campus, aims to evaluate whether a structured dietary intervention can complement existing treatments while addressing barriers to mental healthcare in underserved communities.
The initiative will bring together researchers, food distribution organizations and nutrition specialists to examine the role of metabolic psychiatry in managing serious mental illness. Through a partnership with Heart of Alabama Food Bank (HAFB), the study will use an established community food distribution network to deliver ketogenic food boxes directly to participants’ homes. The approach is intended to make the dietary intervention more accessible to people who may face financial, geographic and logistical challenges when seeking specialized mental healthcare.
The research will focus on individuals living with bipolar disorder in a region where demand for mental health services is high and access to psychiatric specialists remains limited. By combining clinical research with community-based food delivery and individualized nutritional support, the investigators hope to generate evidence on both the potential health effects of ketogenic therapy and the practical considerations involved in implementing such an intervention in rural settings.
Evaluating Ketogenic Therapy in Bipolar Disorder
Ketogenic therapy is a dietary approach characterized by high fat intake, moderate protein consumption and very low carbohydrate intake. The approach is designed to shift the body’s primary energy metabolism toward the use of ketones, which are produced when the body breaks down fat.
Interest in ketogenic therapy has expanded beyond its traditional applications as researchers investigate its potential effects on metabolic function and brain health. Recent clinical trials have suggested that ketogenic interventions may offer metabolic and psychiatric benefits for some people with serious mental illnesses. However, further research is needed to establish their effectiveness, safety, feasibility and appropriate role alongside established psychiatric treatments.
The newly funded study will examine these questions specifically in people living with bipolar disorder in rural Central Alabama. Bipolar disorder is a serious mental health condition characterized by episodes of depression and periods of mania or hypomania. Treatment commonly involves mood-stabilizing medications, other psychiatric interventions and ongoing clinical monitoring.
The study is designed to evaluate ketogenic therapy alongside participants’ existing treatment modalities rather than treating dietary intervention as a replacement for established care. Researchers will assess psychiatric and metabolic outcomes over six months to better understand whether the intervention may provide additional benefits.
The trial plans to enroll up to 100 participants across four study arms. These groups will include participants taking oral mood-stabilizing medications and those receiving long-acting injectable (LAI) mood-stabilizing medications.
Including participants using different medication delivery approaches will allow researchers to examine the intervention within different treatment contexts. The study’s structure is intended to help investigators assess the feasibility of integrating dietary support into existing psychiatric care.
The announcement did not specify the individual study arms’ complete protocols or provide detailed primary endpoint measures. The planned research will nevertheless offer an opportunity to investigate how ketogenic therapy can be delivered in a real-world, community-based setting for a population that has historically faced barriers to accessing specialized mental healthcare.
Addressing Mental Healthcare Gaps in Rural Communities
Limited access to psychiatric services remains a significant challenge in rural areas, where patients may encounter long travel distances, shortages of specialists, financial constraints and difficulties maintaining consistent treatment.
These barriers can be particularly consequential for individuals living with serious mental illnesses who require ongoing monitoring and coordinated care. In communities with limited healthcare infrastructure, even promising interventions may be difficult to access if they depend on frequent specialist visits or expensive, specialized services.
The Baszucki Group-funded study seeks to address this challenge by examining a dietary intervention that can be supported through existing community infrastructure.
Will Rutland, MD, JD, MPH, assistant professor and regional chair of psychiatry at UAB Montgomery, is leading the research. He emphasized that rural communities face substantial demand for mental healthcare while having limited access to specialized services.
“Our study addresses a stark reality: rural areas such as ours face a massive demand for mental health care and limited access to specialty services. Many individuals living with serious mental illness encounter financial, geographic, and other barriers to treatment, and some go without needed care. This study is designed to evaluate whether a community-based approach can help expand access to a promising intervention,” Rutland said.
The study’s design reflects the need to evaluate not only whether an intervention may influence clinical outcomes but also whether participants can realistically access and maintain it.
Dietary interventions can require substantial changes in shopping habits, meal preparation and everyday food choices. These demands may be difficult to manage when nutritious foods are expensive, local availability is limited or participants lack sufficient time and resources.
By integrating food delivery and dietitian support into the study, researchers aim to reduce some of these practical obstacles and obtain a clearer picture of the intervention’s feasibility in an underserved population.
Heart of Alabama Food Bank Supports Food Access
A central component of the study is its partnership with Heart of Alabama Food Bank, which will help source and distribute foods suitable for the ketogenic dietary protocol. The collaboration will draw on Alabama-raised meats and produce, connecting the clinical research program with local food resources.
HAFB’s established distribution network will be used to deliver ketogenic food boxes directly to participants’ homes. This model is intended to reduce the need for participants to independently locate and purchase all the foods required to follow the study diet.
The partnership also highlights the potential role of community organizations in supporting clinical research. Food banks traditionally focus on improving access to food for individuals and families facing food insecurity. In this initiative, that infrastructure will also help investigators address practical barriers to participation in a structured dietary intervention.
John Lucas Jr., interim chief executive officer of Heart of Alabama Food Bank, said access to nutritious food is an important contributor to overall health but can be particularly challenging for families in rural communities.
“We know that access to nutritious food plays an important role in overall health, yet that access can be especially challenging for families in rural communities,” Lucas said. “This partnership allows us to build on our existing food distribution network to support innovative research while helping remove food access barriers for participants. We’re proud to work alongside UAB to explore how food and nutrition can play a greater role in improving health outcomes.”
The food distribution component is intended to support adherence to the study protocol while reducing the logistical demands associated with maintaining a ketogenic diet.
Using an existing community network may also offer insights into how similar programs could be implemented in other underserved areas. If the approach proves feasible, it could inform future research into community-based nutritional support for people living with chronic health conditions.
However, the study will need to establish whether the model can be sustained in practice and whether the dietary intervention produces measurable benefits in the population being studied.
Hatch and Dietitians Provide Nutritional Support
The study will also partner with Hatch, a nutrition-focused nonprofit organization, to source food that aligns with the ketogenic dietary requirements.
In addition to food distribution, study dietitians will provide individualized guidance on food preparation and meal planning. This support is intended to help participants understand the dietary protocol and incorporate it into their everyday routines.
Maintaining a ketogenic diet can require significant changes to usual eating patterns, particularly because carbohydrate intake must be restricted while participants obtain sufficient energy and appropriate nutrition from permitted foods. Meal planning and food preparation guidance may therefore be important for helping participants follow the intervention consistently.
Individualized nutritional support also provides an opportunity to address practical questions that may arise during the six-month study. Researchers will be able to evaluate the role of dietitian involvement in supporting participation and adherence.
The collaboration among UAB, HAFB and Hatch combines clinical expertise, nutrition support and community food distribution. This integrated model is intended to make participation more practical for individuals who might otherwise face difficulties obtaining appropriate foods or maintaining the dietary protocol.
The approach also reflects a broader recognition that health interventions can be influenced by social and economic circumstances. Access to nutritious food, the ability to prepare meals and the availability of appropriate guidance may all affect whether participants can sustain a dietary intervention over time.
Measuring Psychiatric, Metabolic and Healthcare Outcomes
The six-month trial will evaluate both psychiatric and metabolic effects associated with ketogenic therapy. These assessments are intended to help researchers determine whether the dietary intervention may influence health outcomes when used alongside existing psychiatric treatment.
The study will also monitor secondary outcomes related to healthcare utilization. These measures will include hospital admissions and emergency department visits.
Healthcare utilization data could provide additional insight into how participants interact with the healthcare system during the study period. For example, tracking hospitalizations and emergency department visits may help investigators understand patterns of acute healthcare needs alongside the psychiatric and metabolic assessments.
Such outcomes are particularly relevant in rural settings, where limited access to outpatient psychiatric services can create challenges for people who need timely care.
The study’s findings may help researchers assess the feasibility of delivering a structured nutritional intervention through community infrastructure and identify areas that warrant further investigation.
At the same time, the trial’s planned enrollment of up to 100 participants and six-month duration mean that its results will need to be interpreted in the context of its design, study population and measured outcomes. The announcement does not establish that ketogenic therapy is effective for bipolar disorder; determining its potential benefits and limitations is the purpose of the research.
As with other dietary interventions used in clinical settings, ketogenic therapy requires appropriate medical oversight. Participants’ nutritional needs, existing medications and individual health circumstances are important considerations when evaluating a substantial change in diet.
Baszucki Group Emphasizes Equity in Clinical Research
Baszucki Group said the study reflects its commitment to supporting promising research in communities that may be underrepresented in clinical trials.
Julie Milder, PhD, director of neuroscience at Baszucki Group, highlighted the importance of ensuring that people with significant healthcare needs can participate in research evaluating emerging treatment approaches.
“This study reflects something we deeply believe: that the communities with the greatest need should have access to the most promising treatments,” Milder said. “Dr. Rutland and his team are proposing a model that takes equity seriously — using existing community infrastructure to conduct rigorous research within a population that is historically underrepresented in clinical research.”
The initiative seeks to address an important challenge in medical research: findings from clinical studies may not fully reflect the experiences of people who face substantial barriers to participating in research or accessing specialized healthcare.
Rural populations can encounter obstacles related to transportation, limited specialist availability, food access and financial resources. These factors can affect both participation in clinical studies and the ability to follow interventions outside traditional clinical settings.
By embedding food distribution and nutritional support within the research program, the UAB team aims to test an approach that considers these barriers as part of the study’s design.
The results may help inform future research into ways of making dietary interventions more accessible and evaluating their effectiveness in populations with unmet mental healthcare needs.
Advancing Research at the Intersection of Nutrition and Psychiatry
The Baszucki Group-funded initiative represents a collaboration between academic researchers, community food organizations and nutrition specialists to investigate ketogenic therapy for bipolar disorder in rural Central Alabama.
Its six-month design will examine psychiatric and metabolic outcomes among up to 100 participants receiving different forms of mood-stabilizing medication. Food boxes sourced through Heart of Alabama Food Bank and Hatch, together with individualized dietitian guidance, will support participants in following the dietary protocol.
Beyond the clinical questions, the study will evaluate a community-based delivery model intended to reduce barriers to research participation and access to appropriate foods. Monitoring hospital admissions and emergency department visits will provide additional information about healthcare utilization during the intervention.
The findings could contribute to the growing scientific discussion around metabolic psychiatry and the potential role of nutrition in the management of serious mental illness. Further evidence will be needed to establish the effectiveness, safety and long-term practicality of ketogenic therapy for people living with bipolar disorder.
By combining clinical investigation with existing community resources, the study aims to explore whether nutritional support can become a more accessible component of research and care for underserved populations. Its ultimate contribution will depend on the clinical results and the extent to which the delivery model proves feasible, sustainable and adaptable to other communities facing similar healthcare challenges.
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 Baszucki Group is supporting initiatives at the intersection of metabolism, psychiatry, and neuroscience with the goal of improving 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.