Mental Health and Nutrition--Whats the connection?
Mental health treatments have long relied on pharmacological treatments. While medication has an undeniable role in the treatment of mental health disorders, a new field of study is emerging with respect to gut health and mental health. This new field of study is known as nutritional psychiatry.
Nutritional Psychiatry holds promise as an additional mechanism to treat mental illness. Controlled studies have pointed to evidence that supports the role of nutrition on mental health. The emerging scientific evidence suggests that nutritional psychiatry should have a bigger role in mental health treatment. Traditionally, food and its association with mental health diseases have been excluded from medical education, resulting in prescribers having decreased knowledge about the importance of food on mental health.
To understand nutritional psychiatry, we have to understand gut health. Gut health refers to the bacteria that lie in our gastrointestinal tract. We have trillions of microbes (bacteria ) that live in our gut. Our gut consists of needed good bacteria known as flora. We also have "bad" bacteria. We want our flora to always outweigh the bad bugs in the gut.
Our gut directly communicates with our brain. THe gut and brain are in a constant state of communicating. This communication occurs through the GBA: gut-brain anxiety. The GBA has a bidirectional communication system, which links the emotional and cognitive center of the brain.
To increase good gut flora, we can incorporate foods that promote gut health, thereby positively impacting our brain/mental health.
Studies have supported the idea that gut health has a direct impact on mental health. Larger studies should be done, but current studies show promise.
According to Pramaki (2023), the correlation between an unhealthy diet and the propensity to develop mental illnesses has received more attention in recent years. "Western" dietary patterns with low consumption of fruits and vegetables and high consumption of refined grains, fried and processed meals, red meat, and high-fat dairy products are linked to anxiety and depression.
At the same time, many correlative studies in healthy adults demonstrate a lower incidence of depression in those who adhere to "healthy" dietary patterns, such as the Norwegian diet Japanese diet, and Mediterranean diet, which are focused on the abundant consumption of vegetables, fruits, cereals, nuts, seeds, pulses, dairy, eggs, fish, and unsaturated fats.
An inadequate diet can lead to fatigue, impaired decision-making, and can slow down reaction time. In fact, a poor diet can actually aggravate, and may even lead to stress and depression.
A lot of the processed foods we eat are highly addictive and stimulate the dopamine centers in our brains, which are associated with pleasure and reward. In order to stop craving unhealthy foods, you've got to stop eating those foods. You actually start to change the physiology in the brain when you pull added sugars and refined carbohydrates from your diet.
Sugar and processed foods can lead to inflammation throughout the body and brain, which may contribute to mood disorders, including anxiety and depression.
Changing our diet is a challenge, but simple small steps can be taken. Eating healthier, for optimal mental health functioning is attainable.
References:
(Kumar A, Pramanik J, Goyal N, Chauhan D, Sivamaruthi BS, Prajapati BG, Chaiyasut C. Gut Microbiota in Anxiety and Depression: Unveiling the Relationships and Management Options. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2023 Apr 9;16(4):565. doi: 10.3390/ph16040565. PMID: 37111321; PMCID: PMC10146621.