Does the low-carb diet lead to depression?

[Vince]

I had girlfriends tell me that they are psychological eaters, they need carbs to feel good.

Wurtman believes that same effect occurs in humans on low-carb diets and leads to pronounced feelings of depression and sadness, even rage. "People feel very angry, and their antidepressants don't work well, either," she says.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200403/low-carb-state-mind

"We routinely use a low-carbohydrate diet, which does produce evidence of changes in brain-serotonin function," says Cowen. "In people with a history of depression—but not in those without—this diet lowers subjective ratings of ‘happy' slightly."

 

[madman]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2908021/

 

[Leesto]

I find the opposite is true for me. But everyone is different. Carbs make my energy level and mood fluctuate up and down quite noticeably. On the ketogenic diet my energy level and mood are very good and very consistent.

Note that I was diagnosed as diabetic before cutting out carbs. It is likely that diabetic or pre-diabetic people will react more strongly to the glycemic & insulinogenic effects of carbs.

 

[Coopsdaddy]

I definitely feel better when im eating around 40%carbs.