Nisreeny 9) Nutrition and Mental Health

 Nutrition and Mental Health

When someone is feeling down, what’s the first question you ask? For most people, it’s “Are you okay?” or “What happened?” But with a growing body of research on the connections between nutrition and mental health, the better question might be, “What did you eat?”

This relationship between how we eat and how we feel is relatively new territory. As our understanding of the connection between good nutrition and good mental health grows, research provides more evidence that we can use our diets to support our mental well-being.

Does nutrition affect mental health?

We’ve long understood that what we eat impacts our physical health. And there’s now strong evidence showing that nutrition and mental health are also closely linked. In fact, there is a clear correlation between our diet and our mood.

Several studies have made the connection between what we eat and how we feel.

A meta-analysis reviewing 21 studies from 10 countries found that a Mediterranean diet high in fruit, vegetables, and foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids was associated with a reduced risk of depression.

A 2019 study examining the diets of older adults found a correlation between anxiety and high sugar intake.

A small but significant study in 2017 found that dietary counseling was more effective than social support when paired with treatment for depression.

A healthy diet has a positive effect on both your mental and physical health. Some of the most notable benefits are:

Reduced inflammation

High inflammation can result in several illnesses and chronic conditions. Eating a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet can relieve pain and reduce your risk of illnesses. These include auto-immune disorders, heart disease, inflammatory bowel syndrome, and some cancers.

Improved energy

A balanced diet will help your body convert food into energy more readily. This will keep your energy levels — and mood — more stable throughout the day. Eating excessive amounts of processed and sugary foods provides a lot of calories but not much in the way of high-quality fuel.

Better sleep

Foods that are high in sugar or hard to digest can make it difficult for your body to rest. Your diet is also your best source of essential nutrients that help your body renew and repair itself overnight. Eating a healthy diet is key to getting a good night’s sleep and setting yourself up to feel your best when you wake up.

How is mental health-related to nutrition?

If you’re familiar with the term “sugar crash,” you will likely understand how intertwined gut health and mental health are. After all, a sugar crash isn’t just characterized by a lack of energy. The anxious or irritable feeling you get when your blood sugar drops can be related to hypoglycemia. But since we generally associate diet with our physical wellness, we may not see these emotional and cognitive responses as relating to food.

Imagine now that you eat a sugar-filled breakfast every morning. That means you’re setting yourself up for a crash every afternoon. You may be blaming your bad mood or anxiety on your commute, job, or coworkers. But it could be that your morning donut and coffee beverage are actually to blame.

Poor nutrition and mental health

The relationship between nutrition and mental health is a strong one. As the example above shows, as a healthy diet can support your mental health, a poor diet can negatively impact your mental well-being. Studies show that a poor diet can worsen symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. 

But how does a poor diet impact mental health?

As we mentioned, sugar and processed foods can cause inflammation. This inflammation in the brain, gut, and body can be a catalyst for anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders. 

Additionally, poor mental health can lead to unhealthy food choices. Say, for instance, that you’re overwhelmed at work or have a stressful home life. You may struggle to find the time to prepare a healthy meal or may reach for fatty, processed comfort foods. Very few people go for the salad when they’re stressed.

You may skip meals because of your commute, work, or caregiving responsibilities. Or substitute meals with caffeine or sugar to get you through the day. Both are likely to cause inflammation and fatigue, leaving you feeling less than your best.

This can become a vicious cycle of poor nutrition and poor mental health. Find out more on how you can take care of your mental health, from nutrition to sleep to expert care. 

Gut health, serotonin, and mental health

So what’s the connection between sleep, nutrition, and mental health? The answer is most likely serotonin. If the term sounds familiar, it’s because it’s widely known as the brain chemical responsible for regulating mood. Some of the most common antidepressants (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs) work by managing this neurotransmitter.

While serotonin’s exact function in sleep is unknown, it’s believed that it helps maintain our sleep quality. In the evening, the body converts serotonin into melatonin to prepare us to go to bed. Because of this, having enough serotonin in the brain is necessary to fall — and stay — asleep. 

However, serotonin’s impact on the body isn’t just limited to brain function. Over 90% of the body’s serotonin is produced in the gut, where it has a protective effect. So the health of our stomach and the balance of bacteria within it impacts our stress resilience and immunity. 

When we feel stressed, the body responds with the fight or flight response. The autonomic nervous system (ANS) controls this stress response. It also controls other involuntary functions, like digestion, heart rate, and respiration.

That’s why we tend to feel emotions like fear, anger, and disgust in our stomachs. Serotonin helps to regulate autonomic functions in the central nervous system. So when our stomachs are happy, we tend to be happier too.

In 2019, the Baylor College of Medicine conducted a study on gut permeability and depression. They found that increased gut leakiness was associated with increased depression and stress responses. They also found that gut leakiness triggered the immune response. The relationship between the stomach and the brain goes both ways — it’s bidirectional.

Brogan summarizes it by saying, “Not only can our brains affect how our guts feel, but our gut can relay its state of calm or alarm to the nervous system and send those immune reactions up the vagus nerve to the brain.”

With the growing interest in uncovering the link between gut health and mood disorders, a new field has emerged. This new area of science, called nutritional psychology, studies dietary patterns to determine if mental health problems can be managed holistically.

"As we conclude our exploration of the profound connection between nutrition and mental health, we hope you've gained valuable insights into the role of diet in our emotional well-being. Remember, your food choices have the power to influence not just your physical health but also your mental and emotional vitality. By making informed decisions about what you eat, you can embark on a journey toward improved mental well-being and a more balanced life. We encourage you to continue exploring this vital relationship between nutrition and mental health, seeking guidance from healthcare professionals and adopting habits that support your overall well-being. Thank you for joining us on this enlightening discussion, and may your path to better mental health be nourished by the wisdom you've gained today."

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