Can Ketamine Treat Type 2 Diabetes, Depression & Anxiety Caused By Overeating?

Having a diet that is high in fat can result in changes in the brain, which could lead to anxiety and depression. Although laying off the unhealthy food could improve the weight issues, the mood problems could still linger. But thanks to a new study, there might just be a solution for that: Ketamine. In fact, it may also help with Type 2 diabetes.

Conducted by Yale University researchers, the study, published on Nature.com, aimed to find answers regarding the links between overeating and depression, and how the drug called "Special K" could help alleviate the symptoms.

According to First We Feast, the researchers fed some mice a high-fat diet for four months. They were found to manifest symptoms of depression. Those symptoms were eventually gone after being given low doses of ketamine.

The team also chose to study overeating for a particular reason. "Ketamine activates the mTORC pathway, which regulates proteins involved with synaptic connections that can be damaged by stress and depression," as reported by UPI.

Apparently, the pathway is also tangled with metabolism and energy. This causes the drug to be linked with metabolic disorders as well, including Type 2 diabetes, which can also increase the risk of depression.

The findings from the new research make a huge impact, especially to those who are already suffering from depression and Type 2 diabetes. In a press release, Ronald Duman, a Yale professor of psychiatry and neurobiology, noted:

"The effects of a high-fat diet overlap with those of chronic stress and could also be a contributing factor in depression as well as metabolic disorders such as Type 2 diabetes."

This isn't the first time Ketamine was linked to treating depressive symptoms. In the below video, New York City psychiatrist Dr. Edward Fruitman explains how depression can be treated with Ketamine.