Summary: In recent years, a field called nutritional psychiatry has been emerging fast as researchers realize that those living with mental health disorders may benefit from dietary changes. Moreover, mental health issues are challenging to treat with medications, often requiring prolonged treatment, thus causing multiple adverse effects. Dietary measures can help overcome stress, anxiety, depression, and more.

It has been rightly said that you become what you eat. Your diet can influence mental health in multiple ways. It can directly affection the production of neurotransmitters, cause mood changes, influence circadian rhythm, affect gut microflora, and more.

Since diet can influence mental well-being and mood, it also means that one can use food to manage mental health disorders. Thus, anyone living with depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues must make dietary changes.

The importance of diet in mental health cannot be neglected, considering that most mental health issues tend to be chronic and even lifelong.

In recent years, nutritional therapy in psychiatry has gained significant importance as researchers have discovered a few things. Science has discovered that the gut produces 90% of serotonin, one of the most vital neurotransmitters affecting mood and mental health. Similarly, science has realized the role of gut bacteria or microbiota in mental well-being. The gut is so crucial for mental health that researchers are now calling it the second brain. They understand that the “gut-brain” axis can influence various brain functions.

Diet and depression

There are numerous studies showing that diet can increase the risk of depression. Those living with the metabolic disorder are also more likely to develop depression. Thus, studies also confirm that certain dietary choices may be suitable for managing depression. Dietary measures are especially useful in mild to moderate depression.

One of the good ways to manage depression is to switch to the Mediterranean diet. Studies show that consuming whole grains, fresh vegetables, and legumes may help. At the same time, reducing the intake of processed foods is also good for mental health.

One of the landmark trials HELFIMED has shown that the Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables, nuts, whole grains, lean meat, and dairy product can help significantly reduce depression, especially when combined with fish oil or omega-3 supplements.

Diet for stress and anxiety

Stress and anxiety are pretty common mental health issues. Compared to depression, they might be less severe, but they have a higher prevalence.
Studies show that specific food choices may increase the risk of stress and anxiety. Thus, to reduce these mental health issues, experts recommend reducing the intake of alcohol, caffeine, and added sugars.

Those living with anxiety should especially try to lower their sugar intake. Studies show that sugar can be quite addictive and can even cause withdrawal syndrome. Further studies show that consuming excessive saturated fats may also cause mental health issues.

Foods that are especially good for improving mental health are foods that reduce inflammation, like dietary fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, unsaturated fats, and probiotics-rich fermented foods like yogurt, kimchi, and more.

Other things to consider

Prevention is better than treatment. Thus, researchers say that for a healthy life, one should focus on increasing the intake of certain nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B-complex, iron, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin C. Fruits, nuts, seeds, and seafood can be really good to get your daily supply of these vital nutrients.

Secondly, one should consume foods rich in pro and prebiotics like yogurt, buttermilk, garlic, onions, asparagus, barley, oats, and so on.

Further, it is good to consume antioxidant-rich berries. Berries are often associated with romantic moods, and it now appears they really help. In addition, berries are the richest source of specific vitamins like vitamin C and antioxidants.

Finally, remember that disruption in circadian rhythm is one of the reasons for the higher prevalence of mental health issues. Hence, eat meals at regular intervals and at a fixed time of the day to avoid any disruption in the circadian rhythm. Apart from sleep, also regularize your sleep time.

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Medical Disclaimer: Keep in mind that the content provided is not direct medical advice for patient care, but is provided for thoughtful discussion.

 Summary: People do not generally associate mental health disorders with infectious diseases. However, studies show that the brain regulates infection and inflammation in multiple ways, including neuroendocrine responses and even behavioral changes. Studies also show that severe conditions like sepsis are associated with a higher risk of anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health disorders. However, to date, researchers do not know the underlying mechanism. The new study suggests that activation of neural circuits like the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and the central nucleus of the amygdala play an important role in post-infection anxiety and PTSD.

One does not usually associate infectious diseases with mental health disorders. However, as the new study shows, some severe infections may alter the working of specific brain centers leading to different mood disorders. It would be unwise to think that infections or inflammatory processes affecting various body parts cannot influence mental health. However, one must realize that the brain has a say in all body activities and regulates immune responses.

Sometimes, more severe infections may cause dysregulation of brain function in multiple ways. Science has just started to understand the way in which the brain regulates localized and systemic inflammation. There appear to be two ways the brain can detect and control inflammation. First is the humoral pathway. It means that some of the circulating inflammatory mediators can enter the brain. Thus, the brain can sense inflammation and its severity and initiate a response accordingly.

The second way is a neuronal pathway. Sensory afferent fibers send a signal to the brain, including information on local inflammatory conditions, and then the brain can regulate things. Just take an example of the Vagus nerve. It can detect even the minutest inflammation in the gut and lungs. Once the brain has received humoral and neural signals, it can initiate regulatory responses that involve neuroendocrine, neurovegetative, and behavioral responses. Among neural pathways, autonomic nervous and limbic systems play essential roles in these regulatory responses.

An example of neuroendocrinal response is the release of cortisol, which is a stress hormone. Cortisol is quite good at regulating inflammation. Similarly, behavioral changes also help regulate inflammation. Thus, changes in mood, appetite, and sleep all play an important role in inflammation regulation.

All the behavioral changes aim to regulate inflammation. However, sometimes, the body may fail to initiate optimal responses, which may cause mood dysregulation and increase the risk of psychological disorders. One of the conditions in which there is much risk of inadequate body responses is sepsis. It is a severe and disseminated infection. It causes severe immune response and inflammation. Sepsis is among the leading causes of mortality globally, as it is highly challenging to manage with antibiotics.

Since sepsis is a life-threatening condition, it means that the brain’s responses to the condition are also massive. However, now studies suggest that these responses may cause severe damage to mental health, leading to chronic anxiety, depression, and even other mental health issues. PTSD is another common result of a severe and prolonged infection like sepsis.

Although doctors know that sepsis increases the risk of anxiety, PTSD, depression, and other mental health issues, they do not know how to reduce this risk as little is known about the underlying mechanism.

In one of the first kinds of studies published in the journal Brain, researchers tried to understand how infection and inflammation might cause mental health issues. In the experimental study, they induced sepsis in mice. They found that after two weeks, these mice developed anxiety. They also found signs that resemble PTSD.

In the study, they could identify changes in specific neural circuits like the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis but, more importantly, in the central nucleus of the amygdala. This study is one of the first to identify changes in neural circuits related to anxiety and PTSD post sepsis. These findings can form the basis for further studies into the subject.

Understanding how sepsis or severe inflammation causes mental health & depressive mood disorders may help find effective preventive measures and telehealth treatment. These findings are especially important, as neuroinflammation and resulting psychiatric disorders are also found in those affected by Covid-19.

Summary: Although emotional disorders are quite common, there are no reliable biomarkers for diagnosing these conditions. Not only that, lack of biomarkers means that there is no reliable way to monitor the efficacy of treatment therapy. Now researchers think that they have found a way of monitoring changes in emotional regulation in individuals. They found that emotional changes can be measured by tracking theta waves using an electroencephalograph. Researchers think this will help monitor the severity of emotional disorders and find effective treatments.

Emotional disorders like anxiety, various mood issues, and borderline personality disorders are common. However, there are many problems in diagnosing and treating these conditions. Doctors do not know what precise brain changes cause these issues.

Even worse, there are no dependable lab tests to confirm the diagnosis of various emotional disorders. This creates many challenges for doctors. It not only makes diagnosing these conditions highly challenging; it also makes monitoring the progress of treatment difficult. This also poses a significant challenge for researchers. 

Since there is no reliable way to diagnose and monitor the progress of the disease condition, it means that carrying out research on the subject is also tricky. Thus, finding effective treatments is also quite challenging.

Just take an example of anxiety. Almost everyone experiences anxiety in their life. Not all cases of anxiety need treatment. However, the decision to treat someone is taken purely on clinical grounds. There is no test to check the severity of anxiety. When treatment begins, doctors depend on patients’ self-reporting, as they have no other reliable way to know if their treatment is working.

Researchers have long been looking for reliable biomarkers that could help accurately diagnose emotional disorders, understand their severity, and measure the success of treatment based on objective tests rather than on self-reported patient outcomes. 

Theta waves may help measure emotional regulation

The human brain produces different wave patterns that are readily monitored with the help of electroencephalography. These brain waves keep changing according to different physiological states and emotional responses. In addition, pathological processes may also alter wave patterns.

In 2013, researchers first identified that theta brain waves have much to do with emotional regulation. In the new study, Montreal University researchers further tested these findings on 24 adults.

It is a relatively simple experiment to prove the complex concept. They attached the electrodes to the scalp of 10 men and 14 women to see how they react to various emotional stimuli, especially to threats. Thus, they showed them disturbing images of armed men and threatening dogs.

During the experiment, they continually monitored the changes in the brain wave pattern. As a result, they saw that brain wave patterns change according to different emotional responses. In addition, they could confirm that theta waves were especially a good marker for emotional regulation.

Of course, theta waves are not the only waves recorded during the experiment. However, researchers found that other waves, like alpha waves with a frequency between 8 to 13 Hz range, were not sensitive to emotional changes. 

They found that these changes occur more prominently in the brain’s frontal region, which is mainly involved in cognitive control.

Researchers think these findings would ultimately help find a reliable way to measure emotional dysregulation in people, especially in conditions like severe anxiety and schizophrenia. 

Once doctors can accurately measure emotional regulation and dysregulation, it would help better diagnose emotional disorders. This will also help researchers find more effective treatments. Additionally, these waves can be used to monitor the effectiveness of any treatment modality. And for those suffering from these emotional disorders telehealth with these studies can be a way out.

Summary: Alcohol abuse disorder is a significant problem among adults. It is among the preventable causes of ill-health. Nonetheless, doctors who treat alcohol abuse disorder know that treating the condition is not easy. There are high relapse rates among the patients. In addition, it appears that binge drinking at a young age causes epigenetic changes, making people prone to anxiety and alcohol abuse disorders. Thus, experts think that gene therapy, Opioid addiction treatment and Telehealth treatment could be an effective way to treat the condition.

Binge drinking is a significant problem in the US. Studies suggest that about one-sixth of all adults in the US engage in binge drinking. These people do not essentially have alcohol abuse disorder, and they are not living with alcoholism. However, they drink excessively from time to time.

 

Binge drinking is described as when someone consumes 4-5 or more drinks on occasion. Binge drinking is associated with significant harm. For example, it is the cause of motor vehicle accidents, violence, memory and learning problems, and more.

 

New studies suggest that some people are prone to binge drinking. They are often well-educated individuals with good incomes. However, they are used to consuming alcohol excessively now and then. Thus, they are exposing themselves to undue risk. Binge drinking is quite different from alcoholism, as binge drinkers are sober most of the time.

 

Researchers have long tried to understand why some individuals continue binge drinking. It seems that binge drinking at a young age causes changes in gene expression. Thus, a person becomes hard-wired to drink excessively. It also means that managing binge drinking by medications is quite challenging.

 

Researchers have identified genes associated with binge drinking and tools to modify them

 

Of course, genes do not change readily. Thus, modern studies show that high alcohol consumption causes epigenetic changes. In epigenetic changes, genes remain intact or unchanged. However, gene expression changes due to lifestyle choices. Once gene expression has changed, it continues to cause trouble for the rest of your life.

 

There could be many ways of overcoming epigenetic changes. For example, unlike genetic changes, these epigenetic changes might be overcome through lifestyle modification. However, some researchers think that the faster way could be by using gene therapy.

 

For gene therapy, two things are required. First, science needs to identify the genes that were altered due to binge drinking, and then they need to find tools for gene editing. It appears that science has identified both of them, at least in animal studies.

 

In a study done on mice models, researchers fed them with excessive alcohol for a long. And they found that this led to specific epigenetic changes. For example, they saw that binge drinking especially led to the changes in the so-called Arc gene. The changes in this particular gene expression occurred emotion and memory center. These changes predispose individuals to anxiety and alcohol use disorder later in life.

 

It means that editing this particular gene may help reduce anxiety and the risk of alcohol use disorder. The problem with epigenetic changes is that they continue to persist for the rest of life. These changes are quite challenging to reverse through lifestyle modification. However, one may alter these changes via gene editing.

 

In the study, researchers used CRISPR-dCas9 for gene manipulation. This tool is the gold standard for gene therapy these days. They found the tool quite effective for reducing anxiety and other changes, thus reducing the risk of alcohol abuse disorder.

 

Although these are still early days, researchers think it is just a matter of time before gene therapy becomes widely available. These findings can definitely contribute to the treatment of alcohol abuse disorder in adults. In addition, it can help provide a permanent cure for addiction.