Schizophrenia isn’t just about neurotransmitters—it’s a brain energy crisis. 🛑
⚡ Research shows neurons struggle to use glucose, leading to ATP shortages, oxidative stress, and cognitive decline. But are we treating this the right way?
📉 What’s the Problem?
Schizophrenia disrupts glycolysis & mitochondrial function, meaning neurons can’t efficiently generate energy from glucose.
The brain shifts to anaerobic metabolism, leading to lactate buildup, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation.
This bioenergetic failure contributes to cognitive dysfunction and negative symptoms—the hardest to treat!
💊 Pioglitazone? Not the Best Fit.
The article suggests PPAR-γ agonists (like pioglitazone) to improve insulin sensitivity. But here’s the issue:
➡️ PPAR-γ promotes fat cell growth (adipogenesis), increasing the number of fat cells that take up glucose.
➡️ This lowers blood sugar and improves peripheral insulin sensitivity…🚨 BUT it doesn’t fix the real issue—neuronal energy failure!
➡️ Neurons still struggle to use glucose due to glycolytic defects & mitochondrial dysfunction.
➡️ No direct benefit for ATP production in the brain!
🔥 MCT Oil & Ketogenic Diet: A More Direct Approach!
✅ Bypasses the broken glycolysis pathway → Provides ketones, an alternative brain fuel.
✅ Restores mitochondrial ATP production → Fuels the TCA cycle & oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS).
✅ Reduces oxidative stress & inflammation → Protects neurons from damage.
✅ Improves cognition → Alzheimer’s studies show ketones enhance memory & brain function.
🥑 Why Consider a Ketogenic Diet?
A ketogenic diet (high fat, very low carb) forces the body to use ketones instead of glucose for energy.
🧠 Benefits for Schizophrenia:
✔️ Provides consistent ketone supply for neurons.
✔️ Reduces glutamate excitotoxicity, which is linked to schizophrenia symptoms.
✔️ Enhances GABAergic function, stabilizing brain activity.
✔️ Improves insulin signaling in the brain without needing more fat cells.
🚀 Time to Rethink Schizophrenia Treatment!
Instead of forcing neurons to rely on a broken glucose metabolism, why not provide an efficient alternative fuel (ketones)?
🧠⚡ MCT oil + a ketogenic diet could be a game-changer—time to shift the focus!
🔗 What do you think? Should we explore metabolic therapies like MCT oil & keto instead of just tweaking insulin? Drop your thoughts below! 👇🔥
Henkel, N.D., et al., Schizophrenia: a disorder of broken brain bioenergetics. Molecular Psychiatry, 2022. 27(5): p. 2393-2404.
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