Psychiatric nutrition can be used as a complementary treatment for managing mental health challenges, such as anxiety and depression. But what’s the connection between diet and mental health?
Psychiatric nutrition is the idea that the food we eat doesn’t just affect our bodies but our brains as well. It’s a fairly new field of research but is quickly gaining attention due to its potential to help treat mental health disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. In other words, nutritional psychiatry investigates how our everyday diet impacts brain function and mental health. Because our brain requires specific nutrients to function optimally, research suggests that deficiencies or imbalances in these nutrients can contribute to mental health challenges. Learn about the biological connection between nutrition and mental health, as well as what research says are the most important vitamins to incorporate into your diet and what diets to avoid in order to support your mental health.
What’s the connection between nutrition and mental health?
Psychiatric nutrition is the idea that our diet can play a role in treating and maintaining our mental health. In addition to treating mental health disorders through medication and talk therapy, nutritional psychiatry incorporates diet into the treatment plan. Research suggests that the biological link between diet and mental health may be related to the following:
Brain inflammation
Research has found that an unhealthy diet may contribute to brain inflammation (known as encephalitis). One of the potential consequences of inflammation includes mental health challenges, such as anxiety and other mood disorders.
Oxidative stress
Oxidative stress involves an imbalance of free radicals (a type of harmful molecule) and antioxidants in the body.
This imbalance can damage our cells, and diet plays a major role in maintaining this balance. Research has found that when our body is imbalanced and begins experiencing oxidative stress, psychiatric disorders are more likely to occur.
Microbiome-gut-brain axis
There are bacteria and other microbes in your gut that make up your gut microbiome, and this mini-ecosystem helps you digest your food and support your overall health. Research has found that an imbalanced gut microbiome is negatively associated with mental health. This connection between the gut and the brain is known as the gut-brain axis.
Epigenetic modifications
Researchers have found that our diet, especially during early childhood, can impact our gene expression, which, in turn, can have long-term impacts on our mental health. This research highlights the connection between genetic and environmental influences on our brain function and development.
Brain plasticity
Neural plasticity is the brain’s ability to adapt to its environment’s changing needs. Research has found that the brain’s adaptability and flexibility levels, especially later in life, are largely impacted by diet throughout one’s life. In other words, researchers highlight the importance of eating a healthy diet to optimize brain plasticity.
Key nutrients in psychiatric nutrition
What we eat affects every part of the body, including our gut, cell, brain, and gene health. Fueling our body with the proper nutrition, therefore, is essential for maintaining both physical and mental health.
There are several main vitamins researchers have found to be linked to better mental health:
Omega-3 fatty acids: Researchers have found that Omega-3 fatty acids are an essential nutrient for maintaining brain plasticity and overall brain health. Omega-3s can be primarily found in salmon and other oily fishes.
B vitamins: Research from 2022 has found a link between vitamin B deficiency and depression. However, 2017 research found that vitamin B supplementation did not work as a short-term treatment method but rather as a useful preventive or long-term treatment approach for depression.
Vitamin D: The same 2022 research study also found a strong link between vitamin Ddeficiency and mood disorders. A systematic review from 2016 found that vitamin D supplementation when paired with SAMe, vitamin B9, omega-3, and antidepressants, helped lower depressive symptoms.
Magnesium: A systematic review found a link between low magnesium levels and mental health challenges, particularly depression. The review suggested that magnesium may be beneficial in treating mental health disorders. However, the findings were mixed and need further research.
Antioxidants: Due to antioxidants’ ability to prevent oxidative stress, researchers have found that a diet rich in antioxidants may be beneficial in preventing psychiatric disorders, such as depression.
Fiber: In order to maintain a balanced gut microbiome, researchers have found that a high fiber diet can help increase bacterial diversity. Although researchers hypothesize this may help improve brain function and mental health, more research is still needed on the direct relationship between fiber and mental health disorders.
Probiotics: Similar to dietary fiber, researchers have found that probiotics are essential for maintaining a healthy gut. Due to the connection between the gut and the brain, probiotics, naturally found in yogurt and kombucha, for example, may help prevent mental health disorders.
When possible, try to obtain your nutrient sources through healthy foods. However, if your doctor determines a deficiency or imbalance, they may recommend a dietary supplement to ensure you’re receiving the nutrients your body needs to function at optimal levels. Research from 2022 has also found that excess intake of highly processed foods, high sugar foods, unhealthy fats (trans and saturated), and alcohol are associated with greater cognitive and mental health challenges. So, it’s generally recommended that you lower your intake of fast food, sweetened beverages, and alcohol consumption and try to opt for healthy fats, leafy greens, nuts, and whole grains whenever possible.
How is nutritional psychiatry applied in practice?
Eating a balanced diet is essential for everyone, but nutritional psychiatry focuses on tailoring dietary interventions to support and enhance mental health. This approach involves creating a treatment plan that integrates specific dietary strategies alongside traditional methods like medication and psychotherapy, personalized to your unique needs. Dietary interventions might include eating certain foods, such as salmon, spinach, or yogurt, more regularly or taking specific vitamin supplements based on your mental health challenges, potential nutrient deficiencies, and lifestyle. Just as our physical health requires personalized care, so does our mental health. Each person has unique dietary needs, whether managing mental illness symptoms or taking proactive steps to maintain well-being.
In order to receive a nutrition-based treatment plan, consider meeting with a:
nutritional psychiatrist
nutritional psychologist
psychiatric nurse practitioner
registered dietitian
Psychiatric nutrition is a fairly new approach to treating mental health disorders. The idea is that nutrition can play a role in maintaining a healthy brain, and researchers have found several biological connections between diet and mental health, particularly relating to the gut microbiome. Nearly anyone would benefit from taking a preventive approach to mental health by consuming a balanced diet, but some may require a more tailored treatment approach if they’re looking to manage specific symptoms, deficiencies, or lifestyle limitations. Consider speaking with your doctor about your diet and mental health and whether you would benefit from nutritional psychiatry.
Adapted from: Healthline
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