HOW DIET CAN AFFECT MENTAL HEALTH: THE LIKELY LINK BETWEEN FOOD AND THE BRAIN
By KATIE KINDELAN
Feb 27, 2018,
6:43 PM ET
What people choose to eat doesn’t just affect their
waistlines, but maybe also the way they think and feel, according to a growing
body of research.
Some Americans may
believe that eating "comfort foods" leads to happiness.
But often choosing
to eat processed foods like ice cream, macaroni and cheese or chips may
eventually be linked to poor mental health, research suggests.
In some studies, healthy eating --
fruits, vegetables, healthy fats and whole grains -- was in fact linked to lower
risk of depression and even suicide.
"Although the
determinants of mental health are complex, the emerging and compelling evidence
for nutrition as a crucial factor in the high prevalence and incidence of
mental disorders," researchers wrote in a review of the connection between
food and mental health published
in the medical journal Lancet, "suggests that diet is
as important to psychiatry as it is to cardiology, endocrinology, and
gastroenterology."
In one recent study, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet -- low in foods with saturated fat
and sugar -- was found to reduce the risk of depression later in life.
The risk of
becoming depressed over time was 11 percent lower among adults who followed
DASH, a diet rich in vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat
dairy products, the study found.
In the same study, which was done by questionnaire
regarding food choices and depression symptoms, people who reported following a
Western diet -- high in saturated fats and red meats, low in fruits and
vegetables -- were more likely to develop depression.
What is the connection between diet and brain health?
Most people
experience occasional, “situational” depression, or what doctors call an
adjustment disorder, for example when a person loses a job or experiences a
difficult breakup.
Depression is a
persistent loss of enjoyment in things you used to love, a slide into lethargy
and despair, sleep problems and disinterest.
Since what people
eat -– the nutrients available to the body -– affects various bodily functions,
it seems logical that diet would affect chemistry and mood as well.
Diet decisions that
improve the rest of the body may improve the brain’s outlook on the world.
"When people are feeling better by dieting and
losing weight or resolving symptoms that they’re having, that could have an
impact on mood," said Dr. Sherry Pagoto, a licensed clinical psychologist
and University of Connecticut professor. "When people do engage in healthy
lifestyle changes, we do see improvements in depression."
Nutrition also
influences the immune system, which has been shown to influence the risk of depression,
as well.
It could also come
down to inflammation, research shows.
A study published
in January gave more support to the theory that increased inflammation in the
body could play a role in depression. The study, published
in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, found that people who had depression had 46 percent
higher levels in their blood samples of of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker
of inflammatory disease.
Diets like DASH and
the Mediterranean Diet -- another brain-healthy diet with a focus on foods like
olive oil, fish and vegetables -- are both rich in anti-inflammatory foods.
Foods like white bread, margarine, red
meat, processed meat and fried foods can cause inflammation in the body and
should be eaten minimally or avoided, according
to Harvard Medical School.
Tomatoes, olive
oil, green leafy vegetables, nuts, fish like salmon and sardines and fruits
like oranges and strawberries are all foods that fight inflammation, according
to Harvard's list.
ABC News' Ann Reynolds and Jay-Sheree Allen, MD, a
resident in the ABC News Medical Unit, contributed to this report.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Wellness/diet-affect-mental-health-link-food-brain/story?id=53387207
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