By the way, the influence of dietary factors on mental health is less considered, while the role of diet and nutrition in our physical health is undeniable. That might be starting to change. For the first time, a report by a task force advising on new dietary guidelines, commissioned by the departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture, included a point considering the possible role of diet in mental health outcomes. You see, the USDA and HHS report notes, for the sake of example, that the American Psychiatric Association classifies omega3 fatty acids as a complementary treatment for depression. Advisory panel concluded, for now, that the research was and identical lifestyle factors into account in diagnosing. In a paper recently published in The Lancet Psychiatry, an international group of scientists argue that diet is as important to psychiatry as it’s to cardiology, endocrinology and gastroenterology. Certainly, the field of psychiatry can be reaching a sort of tipping point, with type of mental disorder and a pharmacological approach having achieved only limited success in treating debilitating mental health conditions.
Ramsey and colleagues’ paper cites heaps of studies attesting to the vital role of certain nutrients in brain health, including omega 3s, Vitamin D, B vitamins, zinc, iron and magnesium.
The modern diet, while dense in calories, tends to be lacking in these important nutrients, that may be contributing to the rise in mental health conditions.
While low maternal Vitamin D levels been found to play a role in the child’s risk of developing schizophrenia, a lot of studies have linked depression with low levels of key B vitamins, let’s say. Normally, the research had been mounting in recent years, and has expanded from a focus on individual nutrients to dietary patterns more broadly. In 2011, a large study found the modern Western diet to be linked with increased depression and anxiety, as compared to a traditional Norweigan diet. Growing evidence of the braingut connection also lends support the hypothesis that wheneverit gets to mental health, food matters.
Idea that there quite a few neurological conditions, including anxiety, depression, autism, ADHD and schizophrenia has gained steam in the scientific community.
Except by alternative practitioners, diet and exercise are rarely taken into consideration.
Up to this point, the traditional line of treatment for mental heath problems is pharmaceutical interventions or treatments like talk therapy, or some combination of the two. While opening up new modes of treatment and low cost, low sideeffect interventions for individuals suffering from a range of mental health concerns, bringing diet into the equation would represent a major shift in the field of mental health care.
It’s crucial to remember that the causes of mental health problems are complex, and can span psychological, biological, emotional, environmental and dietary factors. Improving one’s diet with ‘brain healthy’ nutrients can only support mental and neurological health.