Eat healthy, feel better
Have you ever observed how you feel after a meal? Or what you are eating depending on your mood? Maybe it is worth giving it a go in order to learn more about your own body. It is being researched how the mental state and diet are related, but it is a quite new topic. Mental, neurological and substance-use disorders (e.g. schizophrenia, depression, epilepsy, dementia, alcohol dependence) account for 13 % of the global burden of disease placing mental illness as the greatest burden, exceeding both cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer. Especially in the Western societies, where the consumption of processed foods are the highest, one is more prone to develop depression or anxiety.
How?
Deficiency in macro- and micronutrients has been related to behavioural problems. Furthermore, it’s been shown that nutritional supplementation can be efficient to treat certain neuropsychiatric disorders. It can be explained by the production of DNA. As it is present in most of the cells, it influences greatly the function of the tissues and organs. DNA can be influenced by environmental factors like diet, smoking, pollutants, and alcohol consumption. A bunch of nutrients participate in the production of DNA. Folate, betaine, choline, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6 can influence the function of several enzymes. Inappropriate production of DNA can lead to depression, fatigue, autism, schizophrenia and other neurological diseases.
Many human diseases are influenced by the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. As mentioned in the previous post, obesity is a combination of these kind of factors. It has several health effects, including the ones related to mental diseases. It’s been shown that obesity in mid-life was shown to double the risk of developing dementia at a later age. Alzheimer’s disease and depression are present in a person who is obese, leading to a theory that vascular health influences the development of psychiatric issues. It is good news in medicine, as it shows that Alzheimer’s and dementia could be prevented potentially.
Nutritional psychiatry
Nutritional psychiatry has been researching targeting the modulation of the gut microbiota. Probiotic and prebiotic foods and supplements could be the treatment of various neuropsychiatric conditions. As this topic is still very new, a lot of things are yet to be revealed. But data and the evidence so far shows a promising future. It would mean that not only healing or managing mental issues would be much more affordable and less harmful for the body, but many of them could be prevented by eating a nutritious diet, low in processed foods.
