Harvard Psychiatrist Slams RFK Jr. “Keto Cure” Claim, Citing Only Two Case Reports

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is under fire after saying a ketogenic diet can “cure” schizophrenia. The claim is drawing sharp pushback because experts say the science is nowhere near that definitive.

The stakes are high: clinicians warn that “cure” language can nudge vulnerable patients toward risky, unsupervised changes—especially if they believe diet can replace medication.

According to The Guardian, Kennedy appeared to reference Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Christopher Palmer, whose published work includes reports of symptom remission in a small number of patients on keto. But the same reporting emphasizes those are limited case reports, not large trials proving a cure.

That gap is at the center of the dispute. AFP’s fact check says Kennedy overstated early results, while Scientific American notes the research is preliminary and does not support describing keto as a cure for schizophrenia.

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Palmer told The Guardian he has “never used the word ‘cure’ in my work.”

Researchers are still trying to answer basic questions: who might respond, how durable any improvement is, and how to manage safety and adherence for a demanding high-fat, very low-carb diet.

For now, the consensus in this coverage is that keto may be worth studying as an adjunct in carefully monitored settings, not presented as a proven replacement for established schizophrenia treatment.

More scrutiny is likely as experts and fact-checkers press for specifics on what evidence Kennedy relied on and as ongoing psychiatric trials continue to report results.

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