Many studies have been conducted -- with interesting results -- showing the relationship between nutrients and mood. Research shows it is clear that no one single nutrient (with the exception of lithium) can provide a reliably effective treatment for mood disorders. Rather, the evidence implies that a broad range of nutrients are involved in achieving optimum mental stability: • Clinical Trials Clinical Trial Table 1: Micronutrient-mood case studies and case series (PDF) Clinical Trial Table 2: Micronutrient-mood randomized controlled trials (PDF) • Mechanism Of Nutrient Action Various micronutrient-related factors are associated with increased risk of psychiatric illness, and micronutrients play essential roles in an array of brain …show more content…
Gastrointestinal tract disruptions and psychiatric disorders show remarkably high co-morbidity.29 For example, most studies that have investigated the co-morbidity of irritable bowel syndrome and psychiatric disorders show prevalence of psychiatric disorders in irritable bowel syndrome patients to be 90% or greater. 30 Higher, genetically-based micronutrient requirements Research is uncovering major genetic risk factors in psychiatric illness.31 Up to one-third of gene mutations result in decreased enzyme binding affinity for corresponding coenzymes, including vitamins and minerals.32 As a result, individuals with certain genotypes may have significantly higher requirements for essential micronutrients in key mood-related brain pathways. 32 33 44 Low micronutrient intake exacerbates the problem Low micronutrient intake may contribute to psychiatric illness.34 35 36 Intake of many micronutrients is inadequate in the United States, as shown in Figure 2. RDA levels are deemed to be “sufficient to meet the dietary requirements of nearly all (97 to 98 percent) of healthy individuals”, but do not ensure mental health for at-risk sub-populations:13 “intake at the level of the RDA or AI would not necessarily be expected to replete individuals previously undernourished, nor would it be adequate for disease states marked by increased requirements.” 37 •
Such researches, yet, do not give information on which or how many genetic materials are involved” (Mental Health, 2009).
Major depressive disorder is one of the most common mental disorders, with a 12-month prevalence of 6.7% of adults in the United States (NIMH). There is no definite etiology of depression, but several risk factors have been identified. Functional and structural changes in the brain have also been explored. The most common treatment for depression is the use of drugs that act on monoamine transmitters, including norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. Decreases in these transmitters, especially serotonin, were hypothesized to play an important role in the cause of depression (Breedlove & Watson, 2013). The serotonin hypothesis led to the development of selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which increase the amount of serotonin in the brain. Further research suggests that the serotonin hypothesis is not entirely accurate and the neurobiology of depression is much more complex. The “chemical imbalance” explanation of depression may not reflect the full range of causes and may be given greater credibility by patients and doctors than is supported by evidence based research.
From the electronic database searches, several articles were appropriate. The first, "Vitamin D deficiency and depression in adults: systematic review and meta-analysis", was designed to find a relationship between Vitamin D and depression (Anglin, Samaan, Walter, & McDonald, 2013). Although, limited by the lack of random control trials, the data was presented in a uniform and consistent manner (Anglin et al., 2013). The results were in line with their goal, finding that low Vitamin D levels did correlate with increased depression (Anglin et al., 2013). Second, Meehan, and Penckofer, provided their inductive, exploratory opinion of "The role of Vitamin D in the aging adult" (2014). Although, the study was short and depression symptoms were self-reported, it, nevertheless, showed a correlation between low levels of Vitamin D and depression symptoms (Meehan, & Penckofer, 2014). The third article, "Vitamin D supplementation to prevent
As a result of a successful study on omega-3 fatty acids in adult major depressive disorder, they were determined to investigate the benefits omega-3 fatty acids have in childhood major depression. Major depressive disorder is common in children and adolescents. Frequently, it appears with poor psychosocial outcome, comorbid conditions, and high risk of suicide and substance abuse, which indicate that the condition needs to be treated. Researchers found that omega-3 fatty acids were effective in adult depression as an add-on therapy, and they inferred that it would have the similar effects in pediatric patients. The participants selected for this study were children between the ages of 6 and 12, and were submitted to the omega-3 trial for 16 weeks. Participants with unstable physical illness or psychiatric disorders other than anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dysthymia, or tic syndrome were excluded from the study. All participants needed at least one parent’s written informed consent and the consenting parent’s commitment to inform the other parent. The IV in this study was the Omega-3 acids treatment, and the DVs were the children with depressive disorder. Patients received two 500 mg or one 1,000 mg capsule of the treatment daily for 16 weeks, depending on their ability to
1. It is hypothesized that mood disorders are associated with heterogeneous dysregulation of the biogenic
Vitamins A,B,C,D,E,K are very important in maintaining a healthy mental lifestyle, and some major foods that contain these vitamins are carrots, meat, citrus fruits, seafood, almonds, and leafy greens. Some main beneficial foods I learned more about, were dark chocolate and avocado. Dark chocolate improves mood and energy by releasing endorphins and helps the health of the brain with magnesium. Avocados have many good fats, counteracting the claim that they are negatively too fatty. They also contain potassium and folate which both lead to better brain health and function.
Schizophrenia is a mental illness in which an individual is characterized with abnormal social behavior and failure to differentiate between what is real and what is not. Individuals with schizophrenia can develop additional mental problems such as anxiety disorders, major depressive illness or substance abuse disorders. There are many factors that contribute to the risk of developing schizophrenia, in where a combination of both genetic and environmental factors play a big role in its development. Many genes are believed to be part of the development of schizophrenia each of minor effect and unknown spread and manifested, since it’s not just one cell who’s at fault but a conjunction of many that are. Environmental factors that contribute
A number of factors have been linked to schizophrenia:genetics, psychological vulnerability, and poor environmental surroundings. The understanding the of this mental illness is called
Much of what is recognized about the biological grounds of psychiatric disorders derives from pharmacological studies; pharmacology deals with all characteristics of the interaction of chemicals with biological systems, and psychopharmacology denotes to the interactions of drugs that are used predominantly because of their effects on the central nervous system (Kelsey et al., 2006). Pharmacologists characteristically distribute their science into two distinct portions; this would comprise of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. When defined in the humblest arrangement, pharmacokinetics endeavors to pronounce what the body does to the drug, and pharmacodynamics terms what the drug does to the body (Kelsey et al., 2006). In educations of mental illnesses, such as unipolar and bipolar mood disorders, pharmacodynamics discloses the molecular substrates of drugs that effect mental states, and henceforth molecular and cellular suppliers to these specific mental conditions.
In order to understand how one should assess patients for schizophrenia, it is important to understand the causes of the disorder as well as the symptoms that might present during the assessment. Schizophrenia is a disorder that affects about 1% of the population. It can be caused by inherited genetic traits or environmental stressors, and it is inherently difficult to track the exact cause of the disorder. Recently, a study by Lee et al. has estimated that 23% of the variation in susceptibility to schizophrenia can be captured by single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 2,725 genes expressed in the central nervous system (Lee et al., 2012). Many environmental stressors can trigger schizophrenia if the patient is genetically predisposed to the
psychosis. Multi-factorial polygenic theories suggest that a combination of genetic and environmental factors compound with one another until
In the article found on medical daily, most mental disorders are based on imbalances in the brain. Researchers have found a particular protein that alters long-term memory and is connected to the development of both bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. (Singh , A. (n.d.))
A second hypothesis is the Single-Carbon Hypothesis. This theory explains that the single-carbon folate serves as a metabolic pathway for several reactions in the brain. One of these reactions is the synthesis of methionine. It has been found that methionine metabolism is defective in many sufferers of schizophrenia. This suggests that folate is somehow related to the disorder, though exact relationship remains unknown. (2)
(3) While successful drug therapies which act on neurotransmitters in the brain imply that depression is a neurobiological condition (4), the fact that such medications do not help about 20 percent of depression-sufferers seems to show that not all depression is due to such imbalances. Rather, depression is not caused by one single factor; it is most often caused by many different things. Genetics, biochemical factors, medicines and alcohol, developmental and other external factors, and relationships, marriage and children all have effect on the development of clinical depression. (5) The strongest hypotheses on the pathways to depression are in decreases in the activity of specific neurotransmitters, or the overactivity of certain hormonal systems. (3)
Nutrition is a factor that can contribute to a good or bad health. Scientists have done extensive research and experiments to find out how nutrition is connected to the brain. The brain is one of the most important organs for the function of a human-being. The brain is in charge of things such as; speech, vision, and movement. There is no doubt that the brain is essential to the well-being and function of the human body. Although the brain is capable of doing many great things on its own, one has to care for it, in order for it to work properly. Nutrition has been proven to bring consequences or benefits to the brain, but it all depends on what type of food one consumes. The way one nourishes the body and brain can cause many health problems.