Ketogenic diet and anorexia nervosa

This hypothesis suggest that starvation-induced ketosis, which leads to a fundamental biochemical change in the metabolic fuel supply of the brain, is uniquely anxiolytic and rewarding to patients prone to AN. Ketosis can easily be replicated by a unique diet marked by high fat, moderate protein, and very low carbohydrate. This diet, known as a ketogenic diet (KGD) mimics starvation, thus allowing the patient to experience the anxiolytic state of ketosis, and yet avoid the morbidity of starvation.