"Eat good, look good!" has been a popular
mantra of people promoting healthy diets everywhere. But what about "eat
good, feel good?" Emotion is a huge driving factor in what we choose to
eat. Just got broken up with? I bet a tub of Ben & Jerry's ice cream sounds
great right now. Just got accepted into med school? How about a celebratory
dinner followed by drinks? Emotion can have both positive and negative effects
on appetite.
How strong is the link between food and mental
health? "Clinical and metabolic response to probiotic administration in
patients with major depressive disorder" is a recent study that looks at
how the probiotic supplementation affect symptoms of patients with major
depressive disorder (MDD). Other studies have provided evidence linking MDD to
metabolism, oxidative stress and inflammation. MDD is characterized by a loss
of interest, hopelessness and sadness. This has a direct effect on appetite,
and energy levels. Those who suffer from MDD can develop eating disorder
causing them to either gain or lose too much weight. Probiotics enhance the
intestinal flora of the gut. They have been known to aid with things such as
irritable bowel syndrome, and overall improvement of gut function. More and
more evidence is being generated suggesting that intestinal microflora’s
effects go beyond the gut. There have been previous studies providing evidence that
oral administration of probiotics is helpful for metabolism and preventing
oxidative stress. Some diseases associated with oxidative stress are cancers
and cardiovascular disease.
40 patients suffering from MDD were randomly split
into two groups. The experimental group received one probiotic capsule that
consisted of L. acidophilus, L. casei and
B. bifidum, once daily. These strains
of bacteria are the ones found in the human intestinal tract. The control group
was given one placebo starch capsule daily. The placebo pill and the probiotic
pill were indistinguishable from each other. Patients in both groups did not
change their diet and physical activity over the course of the study. The study
took place over 8 weeks. All of the participants were assessed with Beck
Depression Inventory (BDI) scores. BDI is 21 multiple choice questionnaire
taken by those suffering from MDD.
At the end of the 8 weeks, there was a statistical significant
decrease in the BDI score of the group administered the probiotics. This
evidence suggests an improvement in mental health. The study also investigated
the effect of probiotics on metabolic variables. There was a significant
decrease in blood insulin, homeostasis model of assessment of insulin
resistance, blood high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. There was a significant
increase in plasma GSH. This data suggests that probiotics have a positive
effect on metabolism via glucose homeostasis. However, the study did not look
into the effect of probiotics on oxidative stress.
This study is amongst many others, that show that
your diet affects you beyond physical parameters. A well-balanced diet is
important for every aspect of your life. Physically, socially and MENTALLY! It
is important to keep your intestinal bacteria healthy to function properly so
that you can be your best self.
Reference: G. Akkasheh, et al. (2015). Clinical and metabolic response to probiotic administration in patients with major depressive disorder: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Elsevier: Nutrition. 32. pages 315-320.
Photo: disney: (2015)
I have personally always noticed a change in my mood depending on my diet. I found this article to be extremely interesting because I had no idea that probiotics could have this kind of effect. I am genuinely interested in finding out more about this topic, and am wondering how long research of this type has been going on. Thanks for sparking my interest.
ReplyDeleteI, too, believe that food has an effect on mental health and health overall. A mantra that I've always heard was "you are what you eat," which is similar to those that you have pointed out. Working at a pharmacy, I've always had customers asking me about where to find probiotics. However, I never knew about the benefits that they offered until now. With my hectic schedule, I often find it difficult to find time to eat since I get so caught up in what I'm doing. A well-balanced diet for me, then, is also difficult to maintain. However, I think that it is possible given that probiotics are readily available so incorporating this in my diet wouldn't be too difficult. Thank you for this very helpful informational blog.
ReplyDeleteBeing an athlete I have always been told by my coaches that the food I eat will directly effect my physical performance. In my many years of swimming I have noticed that my day by day performance does differ when I eat something unhealthy. Some days I would eat a bag of chips or a bowl or two of ice cream and on these days I would feel rather sluggish in the pool compared to the days I'd eat a salad or chicken. However, I was never told that the food you eat can effect you mentally but, I always knew that depending on my mood I would crave a different type of food.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that food effects our moods. I am a food lover and relate food with family and friend gatherings. It is very interesting to think that food can make us feel better, but it can also cause us extreme pain from obesity, etc...
ReplyDeleteI strongly believe that I make choices sometimes based on my mood. When I am extremely stressed out, my appetite decreases drastically. I have noticed it recently that when I am annoyed I tend to eat unhealthy snacks such as ice-cream or cookies. We all know that chocolate and ice-cream is a comfort food. I do believe that eating healthier foods gives me more energy compare to unhealthy snacks. This blog had brought out a great point regarding probiotic capsule, many people think of microorganisms are bad for ones health. But there are some microorganism inside our body which contains beneficial qualities.
ReplyDeleteI find that the reverse happens for me. If I eat something that is less nutritionally beneficial for my body, I feel different emotionally. I think it is because I know it is bad for me so I feel bad that I ate it. However, I have many relatives and friends that struggle with what you discussed in your article about how emotions affect what our food choices are. It was so interesting to read that having healthy intestinal flora affects you mentally. I strongly believe that what we eat does impact us more than just physically. Oftentimes, we hear people say the term, "brain food." Food for your entire well-being is important.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with emotion being a huge driving factor in choosing what to eat. When I am in a happy and good mood, I tend to eat healthy and this gives me an extra positive boost of energy. I feel full in a good way whenever I eat healthy, whereas when I am depressed I crave for fried, unhealthy foods. I crave for fried foods because I love eating it and mentally I think by eating unhealthy foods I will make myself feel better. However, when I eat unhealthy the food tastes great in the beginning but afterwards I feel more awful mentally and physically I feel drained of all my energy. Surprisingly, every time I feel anxious I completely forget to eat and need to remind myself to eat because my mood suppresses my appetite. Therefore, I wholeheartedly believe that mood plays a huge role in selecting what kinds of food I eat.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that emotion plays a role in what we do on a daily basis including the food that we take in. The better we feel, the more likely we are to consume healthier food options and vice versa appears to be true as well. Unfortunately, if we consume unhealthy foods we end up feeling the ill effects of these foods after enjoying the food. A variety of fruits have always helped me when I'm feeling positive and that is in correlation with how the food makes you feel after one consumes it. I would have to agree, with personal experience in mind, that mood is a major key when picking the foods we decide to consume in our everyday diets.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that emotion plays a role in what we do on a daily basis including the food that we take in. The better we feel, the more likely we are to consume healthier food options and vice versa appears to be true as well. Unfortunately, if we consume unhealthy foods we end up feeling the ill effects of these foods after enjoying the food. A variety of fruits have always helped me when I'm feeling positive and that is in correlation with how the food makes you feel after one consumes it. I would have to agree, with personal experience in mind, that mood is a major key when picking the foods we decide to consume in our everyday diets.
ReplyDeleteEven logically speaking I would say that your research is correct. Food does affect people's moods and how they will feel throughout the day. Sometimes people crave different things and will actually feel physical and consequently psychological satisfaction after receiving that food. I also know that in the old days people would abstain from food and fast in order to improve and calm their mental and spiritual status. Why? Because food was known to affect how a person feels and acts even without scientific research. This is a great article and I believe we really should research and chose what types of foods we should eat to keep our moods in a balance.
ReplyDeleteI really like this blog and can relate it to microbiology as we just finished learning more abut the human microbiome. I knew that probiotics improve gut flora and bacteria which can improve digestion, but I had no idea that it could help depression. I completely agree that food has an effect on how you feel afterwards. I think that this is amazing research that shows probiotics can improve your digestive system as well as mental health. Mental health is very important and often looked past, but with this research it can really help people with MDD. This gives them something that could really improve their symptoms.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting topic Stephanie, I too have noticed that depending on what foods I eat my mood changes. I have found that when I eat healthier and fresher foods in comparison to processed foods I usually feel much happier and satisfied. Don't get me wrong the occasional Five Guys after a long night out hits the spot, but in general I feel much better with a healthier diet. It would be cool to see other tests in this field.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting topic Stephanie, I too have noticed that depending on what foods I eat my mood changes. I have found that when I eat healthier and fresher foods in comparison to processed foods I usually feel much happier and satisfied. Don't get me wrong the occasional Five Guys after a long night out hits the spot, but in general I feel much better with a healthier diet. It would be cool to see other tests in this field.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting article! I am a strong believer that food affects our mood. Personally when I eat healthy food, I feel better and am in a happy mood. I found it interesting that this study looked at probiotics as that is not the first thing that people think about when eating healthy. I think that most people focus on eating more fruits and vegetables and eating less sugary and fatty foods. However, it completely makes sense that probiotics could improve mood as they enhance the intestinal flora of the gut and decrease inflammation. Let's be honest, who is happy when they are bloated? Eating healthy on this campus is not easy at all, but I try to choose healthy foods that will not make me feel sluggish, and I definitely think that probiotics are not as readily available as they should be at the cafeteria. This is something that the college should take into account in order to decrease MDD in students and to help students have a healthy mind!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very astonishing for me to read and to gain more of an insight on this topic. All through my military career, they keep a close look at one’s diet and always tell the soldiers that what you eat will affect your overall performance. At the time, I only thought that they were implying that for the physical aspect. However, when I think about it, my mood was affected when they would give us weekend passes and I would eat certain foods that was not from the chow hall. I was physically off balanced and when I would have duty the following Monday, it would greatly affect me mentally. I would become more moody than normal, maybe it was in relationship to the food I was consuming on the weekend pass.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason I am always in such a good mood is because of the fact I eat good healthy red meat. I go to my local butcher and I know right where the meat comes from, I know its grass-fed cows, I know its SAFE to eat. When I buy red meat from Wegmans, I can taste the not only the quality difference but I also do not feel as well afterwords. Red meat is known to negatively harm the GI microbiome but it seems that grass-fed meat may be a better source and actually help good bacteria grow instead of bad ones. Just maybe that is why I feel in a good mood! Cheers
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