What is going on in our bellies may matter more than we knew to our brains. Two interesting depression-related studies were reported earlier this year: the first links depression to inflammation, the second researches depression in the context of the “gut-brain axis.”
A summary of the inflammation research is found in The Guardian, under the title “Is Depression a Kind of Allergic Reaction?” To me, the title is misleading. People can have allergies to all kinds of foods. Inflammation, however—and possibly the associated depression—is caused by crap food. You want to live on starchy carbs and processed foods? Then you are going to puff out like a condom-turned-balloon in the hands of a ten-year-old. Fill your face with things that are fresh, raw and unprocessed and you will fare much better, as I first wrote about in this post on brain food.
The Guardian article also suggests, rather hopefully, that a shift in the perception of depression from being a mental illness to a physical one could relieve the ongoing stigma that is attached to the illness. Author Caroline Williams writes, “This time, though, the target is not any kind of brain or mind-based weakness but a basic feature of everyone’s body that could strike anyone down given the right – or wrong – turn of events. And if that doesn’t inspire a greater sympathy and understanding, then nothing will.” I like the idea of our society arriving at a place where depression no longer carries stigma, but the mind vs. body debate does still seem to be infused with discrimination in that it categorizes a body illness as more acceptable than a brain illness in the first place. How about compassion for all?
First things first, though: let’s focus on keeping our bodies and brains healthy through better diet. And possibly add in oral supplements of omega 3 oil and curcumin, both known to have anti-inflammatory effects. I’ve been working on diet improvement for two years now. Do I see a difference? Unequivocally, YES.
On to the gut-brain axis, which is decidedly less evil and more scientific than the axis between Iran, Iraq and North Korea that George W. Bush introduced in back in ’02. Phew. Good on it, I say.
Scientific American published Charles Schmidt’s article “Mental Health May Depend on Creatures in the Gut” in February, which points out that this idea goes back more than a hundred years. More recently, oodles of studies have been conducted using mice, with some pretty amazing results. For example, mice injected with the gut microbiomes of humans with mood disorders soon start to exhibit the same behaviors. Translated into mice-world stuff, this meant they began exhibiting anxiety over jumping down from one platform to another, which leaves me wondering: if humans with mood disorders were injected with healthy mice microbiomes, would they eventually become Olympic-level divers?
One of my favorite parts of this article is delivered via the research of John Cryan, a neuroscientist at University College Cork in Ireland. He recently published a study in which two varieties of Bifidobacterium produced by his lab were more effective than escitalopram (the antidepressant Lexapro) at treating anxious and depressive behavior in a lab mouse strain known for pathological anxiety. Hurray, make way for the development of psychobiotics, live organisms comprised not only of probiotics but also other bacteria known to produce psychotropic signals such as serotonin and dopamine. The research has a ways to go yet, so in the meantime, a good quality brand of probiotics from your local vitamin shop could go a long way to making you feel better, in both body and brain.
Have you experimented with diet change and/or the use of supplements for the benefit of your mood? I’d love to hear from you!
Jeri says
I need to send this post to Carmen! She’s a strong believer in how the types of food we eat impacts the health of the body and the brain. I greatly simplified my diet about five years ago and it made a huge difference. Granted, I can still eat an entire bag of Tostito’s every now and again, but I’ll pay the price. Salt overload is killer on the body the day after. Carmen has also told me all about how some foods contribute to inflammation, and there are days when I get up in the morning after particular dinners like a juicy steak or a huge pizza and feel it in my bones so to speak. It sucks and takes my body a few days to re-calibrate. I used to take fish oil pills, but decided I was tired of burping fish…
Laura Zera says
It’s amazing how once you start eating better and feeling better, that you really notice it when you upset that balance. The guilty pleasure splurge doesn’t seem as worth it when you feel icky afterward (Francis brought home hot beignets this morning, and against my better judgment, I ate one. Now I feel like crap!) As for the fish burps, there are some brands that market themselves as being “burp-free.” Another option is trying flax seed oil pills, also a good source of omega 3.
Debbie Young says
Gosh, that’s fascinating, Laura – and encouraging. I hadn’t heard about these ideas before. We’re currently going through dietary changes in our household as my husband has just decided to follow our daughter’s lead and go vegetarian (still eats fish though). We hadn’t been eating a lot of meat before, but it’ll be interesting to see how he feels as a result. My personal goal is to reduce carbs. I just wish chocolate was a low-carb fruit or vegetable.
Laura Zera says
Chocolate will be the downfall of us all, Debbie. Good on you for making changes, and good luck with the carb reduction. I’d be interested to see what differences you notice after a couple of months.
Marie Ann Bailey says
Fascinating. I’m not surprised there may be a link between the foods we eat and depression. At least, knowing that when I’m depressed I’m drawn to eat more and eat more of certain foods suggests a psychological link, but perhaps also a physiological one. My diet is an ongoing challenge. I try to be mindful and make healthy (i.e., heavy on the legumes and vegetables) lunches for the work week. I try to avoid fast food (not too hard since I rarely eat out). The vending machine is my nemesis since when I’m bored (which is for me a kind of depression) and I’ve eaten all the food I brought with me to work, I go to the vending machine. I work at a health department but there are no true healthy choices in that machine. Sometimes the effort I have to make to eat healthy makes me feel depressed 😉
Laura Zera says
I totally get it, on all levels! When I was at my last contract job, I used to fill my drawer with those little one-ounce-sized Tupperware containers (that look like shot glasses). I’d have some with raw almonds and some with trail mix with some chocolate chips in it for my sweet-tooth fix. I never let myself run out of snacks that way. Still probably snacked too much, but it kept me away from the vending machine.
Your comment about the effort it takes made me chuckle. I don’t cook — like, nada — so my challenge is to stay away from pre-packaged food. I’ve started eating a lot of humus for lunch. 🙂
I think that diet is always a challenge. Like everything, it requires work. They key is to forgive ourselves the missteps and keep at it.
Denise Baer says
Hi Laura, I remember about 8 years ago, my doctor telling me that 75% of the people I pass on the street deal with some form of depression. You’re right that it is an illness that isn’t accepted as much as body illnesses. The thing is is that I am a firm believer that what we put in your bodies helps dictate depression, amongst other illnesses.
Depression and anxiety runs in my family. Majority of my family members are on some type of medication for either one, which is good if it helps them. I’m not one for drugs, so I’ve learned that eating well and keeping active decreases my depression tremendously. Of course, I have put on weight over the years from personal struggles, and I’m now trying to get those pounds down. Back in 2004/05, I dropped four sizes and felt great. I can recall going through some minor depression around the holidays, but that was it. My weeks stretch of depression every month disappeared.
Carbs, fried and junk foods are great triggers for depression. It’s like the illness feeds off these foods, and I’m an proof of it. I get monthly migraines, and when I do, I crave carbs and salt. During these times, my depression expands and keeps me company.
Laura Zera says
You have a fantastic sense of self-awareness around your mind and your body, Denise, so congrats on paying attention and figuring these things out. Some of what you said also brought another thing to mind: hormones. They are pretty powerful little suckers, and I’m sure in combination with fluctuations in food and diet, they can also contribute to the party.
Wow, that number your doctor gave you about people dealing with depression is sobering. Whatever the number, I hope that people aren’t afraid to seek help for it, and that when they seek help, they are given options, and not just thrown straight onto medication and then left to languish in a corner without any further treatment or follow up!
Kathy @ SMART Living 365.com says
Hi Laura! Thanks for helping spread the good news about a good diet. While I’m far from perfect I do admit that when I eat right I feel so much better. Thom and I finally jumped on the morning smoothie kick and now we are heavily addicted (in a good way of course!) While about once a week we do indulge in a “traditional” breakfast with eggs, we are starting to almost miss the juice so much that we might even give that up–it feels and tastes that good! And yes about the gut bacteria too…. ever since I got a case of montezuma’s revenge in mexico last fall…and the doctor there put me on probiotics….I’ve been a HUGE fan. All anyone has to do is start reading of the benefits and it becomes a normal part of every day (and yeah, we add it to our smoothies!) Thanks for the reminders… ~Kathy
Laura Zera says
You know, you just got me thinking, Kathy: I took a bottle of probiotics in January, after my travel-related sinus infection in Nov-Dec led to three rounds of antibiotics. And I felt pretty dang fabulous in January, all the way ’round. I am going to do it again, minus the sinus infection part!
What other good things do you add to your smoothies? We used to do a weekly “fry up,” too, and we cut that out two years ago. I do not even miss it! Now if I could only let go of chocolate.
Jill says
I’m not too sure what I think about the shift from depression being a mental illness to a physical one in order to gain more acceptance….did I read that right? I think as a society we need to accept people based solely on the fact that they are a living breathing human PEROID. But I digress.
I can say that as a sufferer of depression and anxiety I am always better when I’m eating healthier foods and being active. I don’t think we should give the study too much merit, just take a look at Clara Hughes. Canadian Olympian and she suffered. What I do take from this is that taking care of our bodies will help level off depression and other mental disorders hopefully decreasing or eliminating dips and lows so that we are able to live a more balanced life. But I don’t believe that it could cure depression merely add in controlling it more or better. Just my 2 cents worth.
Laura Zera says
Hi Jill, I’m with you on the first part! And as for whether an anti-inflamatory diet and attention to gut microbiomes could full-on cure or merely help a depression sufferer, my take is that it will do both, depending on the person. There’s never a one-size-fits-all, it seems. Thanks for stopping in!
Kern Windwraith says
I see a couple of pitfalls to scooching depression over to the list of physical rather than mental conditions. First, as you say, it does nothing to address the stigma that always attaches to mental illness. Second, it seems that like every other condition in the medical world, there are layers of complexity to this. As the article notes, not everyone rebounds from depression with the anti-inflammatory treatment–it’s clearly not going to be a one fix for all kind of situation.
That said, there is no bad in changing our eating habits and moving toward healthier living. Last year my sister and I started drinking smoothies, cut wheat out of our diets entirely during the week, made sure to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into every meal, and we couldn’t believe how much better we felt, both physically and mentally. We started backsliding a bit this year, but we’re going back to our smoothie/wheat-free regimen now. Your post makes me even more determined to stick to it this time round.
Laura Zera says
Good for you, Kern! Backsliding is normal, I think (says the backslider who is also reassessing at the moment). And there are definitely layers of complexity, which is why I always like to tell people to not give up when one treatment option or the other doesn’t work. There are always new things to try (adding in yoga, taking a SAM-e supplement, using EFT tapping, etc.)–and, to try in combination–to find out what might work for each individual bundle of uniqueness that we all are!
Belinda Pollard says
Fascinating stuff, Laura. I also learned recently that our intestinal greeblies and our immunity are linked – maybe everyone else knows that, but I never knew that before. So I’ve been working hard at eating plain natural yoghurt (the kind that’s set in the tub) with breakfast and before bed. My health and my mood have both improved. Sounds like that’s no coincidence.
There are so many complex, interlinked mechanisms operating in the human body, all the time. It’s an incredible and beautiful thing. Thank you for giving me another reason to try to stop eating chips! 😉
Laura Zera says
Plain yogurt is perfect! Although I’ve given up dairy due to my sinuses and allergies, so am glad there’s a capsule form option.
The more I learn about the body, the more fascinated I am, and also at how despite having this magnificent piece of machinery at our disposal, we still so easily get busy with our lives and tune it out, ignore it, and abuse it. It takes presence of mind, stillness to listen, and effort to act to keep our bodies humming along, but crikey, let’s give it our best shot, hey? 🙂
Anita Stout says
“It takes presence of mind, stillness to listen, and effort to act to keep our bodies humming along,”
And there in lies the problem for me sometimes. The brain fog keeps me from remembering to do the things that will help lift the brain fog. :/ Great post. Very interesting!
Laura Zera says
I totally get that, Anita! I use visual tricks — a computer screen desktop image that says “Meditate!” and wallpaper on my phone that I made using Danielle LaPorte’s graphics generator. Stuff like that works better for me than a sticky note here and there. 🙂
Veronika Dalton says
Wow, I never would have guessed that gut bacteria could be tied to depression. I wonder if psychobiotics will ever become a big thing. They sound like they might be more healthy, but I wonder if they might cause problems if you take too many.
Laura Zera says
Hi Veronica, yep, I think anything like that is best monitored by a doctor or naturopath. My husband takes some wicked strong probiotics, but they’re tweaked and balanced by his NP. Just because it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s not mighty potent!
Thanks for stopping by!