Nutrition
Your diet is an important part of your overall mental and physical health. Maintaining a healthy diet in addition to exercising can help you to battle depression. How can you do it? Keep reading to learn more.
Facts about Diet & Depression
By 2020 depression will be the second highest cause of early morbidity according to the World Health organization. This means one out of seven people will experience depression in their lifetime ( Popa, T. A., & Ladea. 2012) . While many factors contribute to depression, there are new studies that show a correlation between major depressive disorder and diet. Depression is commonly associated with diets that are high in processed carbohydrates, alcohol, and high levels of sugar (Liu et al., 2017).
How does Nutrition impact mental health?
Consuming diets high in processed foods can lead to deficiencies is many nutrients, one of those including amino acids. Amino Acids form neurotransmitters such as:
- serotonin
- dopamine
- norepinephrine
These neurotransmitters help reduce depression (Popa, T. A., & Ladea. 2012).
Deficiency in vitamins, mineral, and amino acids may lead to:
- neurological issues
- fatigue
- irritability
- depression
- increased metabolic risks
Vitamin B & Depression
B vitamins play a large role in our bodies, they function in turning food into energy (metabolism), creating new blood cells to transport oxygen throughout the body, and building bigger muscles.
It has been found in many studies that people with depression also have low levels of vitamin B12 and vitamin B9 (also known as folate), (e.g.,Carney, 1967; Morris et al., 2003; Reynolds et al., 1970).
Vitamin B supplements, specifically B12, are often used to increase metabolism and therefore energy levels. Conversely, evidence only shows an increase in energy levels through B12 supplementation in people with B12 deficiency (Davidson, T., & Alic, M., 2019).
Evidence Thus Far
Many people suffer from “poop-out” effect in antidepressants, where the effect of the antidepressant wears off. This is formally termed tachyphylaxis, and effects many people for various, often times unknown, reasons (Hall-Flavin, D.K., 2018)
Luckily, Vitamin B has been shown to enhance antidepressants over the course of one years treatment (Almeida, 2014).
This link could be a huge deal to those who have been diagnosed with major depressive disorder as well as a B12 deficiency.
Possible relation between the two because of B12 being necessary in the process of the production of serotonin, or the “happy hormone”
How You Can Increase Your B12 Levels
Foods with the most vitamin B12 (Davidson, T., & Alic, M., 2019).
#1 - Beef, liver, clams
#2- Fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk
#3- Certain fortified breakfast cereals and nutritional yeasts
Click the picture above for more consumer information about B12
Benefits of a Non-Diet Approach to Nutrition?
Weight focused diets have been shown to be ineffective in long term weight management (Clifford et al.,2015). By implementing a non-diet approach to nutrition, individuals not only see physical improvements, but also psychological improvements and a better overall awareness of the impact of nutrition on mental health, and physical activity (Clifford et al.,2015).
How to Implement Proper Nutrition?
By providing wellness programs, individuals will gain the knowledge and understanding needed to promote a change in their nutrition, mental health, and physical activity behavior. The HealthCorps created a wellness program in New York high schools that consisted of education to promote healthy behavior (Heo et al.,2016).
Findings of the HealthCorps Study:
- Boys significantly increased their intake of fruits and vegetables
- Girls increased acceptance of new fruits and vegetables
- Girls increased breakfast consumption
- Girls decreased sugar-sweetened beverages and energy dense food intake
- Boys had a stronger association between knowledge and behavior
(Heo et al.,2016)
Helpful Nutrition Resources
MyPlate is a great tool to build healthy eating habits, and is helpful for people of all ages.
EatRight provides dietary guidelines, and helps individuals make choices that benefit their overall health.