Ilaria Bertini, RDAbout Me
I am a Registered Dietitian based in Italy, and I graduated from the University of Padua, in the north of the country. I was fortunate to study under exceptional professors and dietitians who taught me how to manage clinical situations, acute illnesses, and various pathologies, as well as how to work effectively with outpatients.
During my university years, I completed an extensive and in-depth internship, followed by one and a half years working in hospitals. After that experience, I decided to continue my professional journey independently. While I was well prepared to manage clinical pathologies, I soon realized that outside the hospital setting, health is far more complex — and that many people believe they are healthy when, in fact, they are not.
To deepen my understanding, I pursued further education through master’s programs and specialized courses, focusing on the mechanisms of disease burden. I began following international doctors and researchers to explore metabolic health more deeply. It was at that point that I decided to move beyond a conventional approach to illness — and to focus instead on the underlying drivers of dysfunction: metabolism and energy management.
From Clinical Nutrition to Technology and Metabolic Health
After discovering the groundbreaking Virta Health Study, I became passionate about technology and its role in metabolic care. Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) quickly became one of my main interests. Adopting a low-carb and ketogenic lifestyle opened both my mind and my eyes — first for myself, and later for many of my patients, with remarkable results.
My professional focus has since expanded to include metabolic psychiatry, with particular attention to the connections between metabolic, mental, and brain health, as well as circadian rhythms and quantum biology.
Having a personal history of psychiatric challenges and physical consequences from an early eating disorder, I know firsthand how profoundly diet and lifestyle can support healing. My recovery is still ongoing, and it continues to inspire my work with others. Today, I am dedicated to building data-driven solutions using technologies such as CGMs and wearable devices. My goal is to help individuals understand how their bodies are functioning and to identify early warning signs — taking action before dysfunctions become severe or irreversible. Ultimately, my mission is to improve quality of life, both for those managing chronic conditions and for those seeking prevention and optimal health.
Study Group in Non-Diabetic Individuals
I conducted a two-week study group with 21 participants (14 women and 7 men) aged between 31 and 72 years. Only one male participant had a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes; two women had Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism; one woman had an autoimmune joint disease; and another had PCOS.
Participants were mostly omnivorous, except for one vegetarian woman. The average carbohydrate intake at baseline was approximately 140 grams per day, primarily from vegetables, fruits, bread, cereals, and baked goods. Only five participants exercised regularly, while the remaining sixteen were mostly sedentary.
During the monitoring period, I guided participants to progressively reduce their carbohydrate intake — first below 100 grams per day for the initial five days, and then to around 70 grams per day, mainly from vegetables, fruits, and properly prepared legumes, if tolerated.
Patients tracked many data from CGM, glucose and ketones monitor, food diary, journal around their feeling and some had the possibility and opportunity to check blood work. All patients had their fasting glucose and insulin, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, GGT, AST, ALT.
The results were astonishing: all patients improved in their feeling and were less hungry, dizzy, tired, sleepy, some started to lose weight and move a bit more during the day.
Although this was a small pilot group with limited data and no comprehensive blood testing due to resource constraints, the findings are encouraging. In just two weeks, we observed meaningful improvements in mean blood glucose, glycemic variability, ketone tracking data and overall well-being. These results suggest that education and short-term lifestyle interventions can make a real difference, even in non-diabetic individuals.
Case Study: overweight woman, insomnia, depression, panic attacks, and binge eating
One patient in particular reported remarkable improvements in both brain and mental health. She was a psychologist, an overweight woman suffering from insomnia, depression, panic attacks, and binge eating. She joined the program, adopting a low-carbohydrate meal plan, and began practicing time-restricted eating three to four times per week starting in the second week of the monitoring phase.
After just one week, she described feeling like a different person. Her sleep quality improved, her urge to eat uncontrollably diminished, and she began waking up less anxious. By the end of the two-week period, she had experienced no panic attacks or binge episodes and had lost nearly 3 pounds. At her one-month follow-up, her weight had decreased from 76.6 kg (168.5 pounds) to 70.8 kg (155.8 pounds), and her basal glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, GGT, and ALT levels all showed improvement.
She discussed her progress with her therapist and requested medication adjustments due to her significant improvements. She was sleeping better, managing work without crisis episodes, and feeling more stable overall. Her lifestyle was visibly transforming. She began to appreciate eating mindfully, no longer felt ashamed around food, and had no further binge episodes. She experienced only one panic attack after a stressful family incident, when her son fell down the stairs.
This case aligns with emerging evidence in the field of metabolic psychiatry, demonstrating how lifestyle interventions—such as low-carbohydrate or ketogenic diets, time-restricted eating, and whole-food choices—can positively influence both metabolic and mental health. These interventions appear to support not only brainand body function directly, but also indirectly through modulation of the gut microbiome.
Metabolic psychiatry is an evolving and comprehensive approach that empowers patients to achieve better mental and metabolic well-being. This small project reminded me how powerful it can be to observe our own biology and physiology in real time. When people see their data and are mindful of their actions, they begin to understand their metabolism — and that awareness changes everything.
My aim is to bring data-driven nutrition and metabolic education to everyone, bridging the gap between clinical knowledge and everyday health. I believe that integrating continuous data, personalized nutrition, lifestyle coaching, and increasing awareness is the next frontier in preventive medicine and metabolic health.
REFERENCES
- Mattson et al. Impact of intermittent fasting on health and disease processes. Ageing Res Rev. 2017 Oct:39:46-58
This blog post reflects the opinion and/or experience of the author. It is provided for informational purposes only and should not be considered a replacement for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any questions about a health condition or concerns related to your well-being, always consult with your physician or another qualified healthcare professional.
