Should schizophrenia patients follow any kind of diet?

There is no hard evidence that persons with schizophrenia should follow any particular type of diet. There were several reports in the 1970s that wheat gluten in the diet can either cause schizophrenia or exacerbate its symptoms in someone who already has schizophrenia. Gluten is already known to be poorly tolerated by people who have celiac disease, a condition characterized by frequent abdominal cramps and chronic diarrhea. However, research has failed to confirm that a gluten-free diet would lead to improvement in schizophrenia.

It is well-known that persons with schizophrenia tend to have a poor diet – high in fat and low in protein and fiber. When this is coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, persons with schizophrenia frequently become overweight or obese and develop complications such as diabetes, high lipids or hypertension. Thus, a balanced low-fat diet with daily fruits and vegetables (which are not often a staple in the diet of chronic schizophrenia patients) is vital, along with moderate exercise like walking for 30 to 40 minutes a day.

Finally, there was a “mega-vitamins” theory of schizophrenia about 30 years ago, which proposed using very high doses of vitamins to treat schizophrenia. This theory was never proven with research, although a few proponents still believe in it.