$3.3 million gift from Baszucki Group fuels transformative bipolar disorder research and precision nutrition clinical service
Baszucki Group announces a collaboration with Mayo Clinic to support a clinical trial investigating ketogenic therapy for bipolar disorder. This important study will further explore the intersection of metabolic and mental health along with cardio-metabolic implications, with the goal of informing the development of an interdisciplinary precision nutrition clinical service.
Supported by a $3.3 million gift from Baszucki Group, the trial builds on recent pilot trial results from Stanford and Edinburgh University providing further evidence of the therapeutic potential of a ketogenic diet while offering novel insights into its effects on both the brain and body. The study utilizes therapeutic precision ketosis, a cutting-edge, personalized dietary approach, and is among the first to integrate cardio-metabolic and mental health measures. The findings aim to inform the creation of a precision nutrition clinical service at Mayo Clinic, uniting psychiatry, endocrinology, and preventive cardiology.
“By exploring the profound connections between metabolic and mental health, this initiative not only holds the potential to revolutionize care for bipolar disorder, but also lays the groundwork for broader applications of therapeutic nutrition in psychiatry,” said Jan Ellison Baszucki, co-founder and President of Baszucki Group.
A Clinical Trial That Puts Precision Nutrition Into Practice at Mayo Clinic
Led by Mayo Clinic psychiatrist Mark A. Frye, MD, and Kyla Lara-Breitinger, MD, a preventative cardiologist at Mayo Clinic, the trial will enroll 30 individuals with bipolar disorder experiencing depressive symptoms. Over a 20-week period, participants will undergo tailored ketogenic dietary interventions, supported by nutritional counseling and behavioral health guidance.
This trial will not only track psychological outcomes, such as depressive symptoms, but will also comprehensively assess cardio-metabolic outcomes, including weight, cholesterol, and biomarkers of vascular health. Using advanced lipid tests and detailed vascular ultrasound will enable clinicians to monitor changes in cardiovascular health that may occur while on a ketogenic diet and establish best practices for ketogenic dietary interventions. The data will empower clinicians to effectively and safely incorporate therapeutic precision ketosis as a medical intervention in practice.
As the trial concludes, clinical outcomes and key measures will guide the creation of the first-ever precision nutrition clinical service. This service will integrate expertise across psychiatry, cardiology, endocrinology and nutrition, offering a scalable model for implementing ketogenic therapy for patients with bipolar disorder and other serious mental illnesses.
The study marks a pivotal step in uncovering the biological mechanisms behind bipolar disorder and exploring how a ketogenic diet can simultaneously enhance brain and metabolic health. Results could help clinicians to turn this scientific inquiry into actionable clinical programs that will transform patient care for serious mental illness and other chronic medical conditions.
The first known ketogenic trial in pediatric epilepsy was conducted at Mayo Clinic, and results were published in 1921. Some 100 years later, research is returning to this intervention, with a stronger neurobiological metabolic hypothesis.
This initiative is part of Baszucki Group’s ReTHINK Bipolar: Researching Therapeutic Integration of Nutritional Ketosis in Bipolar Disorder program, which has provided over $11 million in funding for clinical trials of ketogenic therapy at institutions including McLean Hospital, the University of Pittsburgh, Stanford University, University of Edinburgh, University of California - San Francisco, and James Cook University in Townsville, Australia. ReThink Bipolar builds on the foundation’s prior investments in groundbreaking bipolar research, and complements its funded studies in other serious mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, major depression, and anorexia nervosa.
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 private giving, impact investing, advocacy, storytelling and community building to drive foundational change. A primary objective of Baszucki Group is to transform mental health outcomes by supporting initiatives at the intersection of metabolism, psychiatry and neuroscience. To learn more about metabolic strategies for treating mental disorders, including ketogenic therapy, visit Metabolic Mind, a nonprofit initiative of Baszucki Group.
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Contacts
Colby Zintl media@baszuckigroup.org
