Food and Mood

Food and Mood

 

Definition

§   A mood is a relatively long lasting emotional state.

§    Moods differ from emotions in that they are less specific, less intense, and less likely to be triggered by a particular stimulus or event.

 

§    Moods generally have either a positive or negative valence. In other words, people typically speak of being in a good mood or a bad mood.

§   Unlike acute, emotional feelings like fear and surprise, moods often last for hours or days.

Mood Disorders

§  Long term disturbances of mood includes

§   depression .

§  bipolar disorder.

 

§   Major depression - feeling sad and helpless everyday for weeks at a time and includes the following characteristics :

–    Little energy.

–    Feelings of worthlessness.

–    Suicidal thoughts.

–    Feelings of hopelessness.

–    Difficulty sleeping.

–    Difficulty concentrating.

–    Little pleasure from sex or food.

§   Postpartum depression is depression after giving birth.

§   Affects about 20% of women and most recover quickly.

§   1% enter a serious, long-lasting depression.

§   More common among women who:

–    have suffered depression at other times.

–    experience sever discomfort during the times around menstruation.

§   May be associated with a drop in progesterone levels.

 

• Bipolar disorder (manic-depressive disorder) is characterized by the alternating states of depression and mania.

– Mania - restless activity, excitement, laughter, self-confidence, rambling speech, and loss of inhibition.

Main neurotransmitter

certain foods alter one’s mood by influencing the level of certain brain chemicals neurotransmitters.

 1. Dopamine.

2. Norepinephrine.

 3. Acetylcholine.

 4. Serotonin: Mood Regulator.

How Food Affects Feeling

§  neurotransmitters become more/less active

   depending on diet.

§  This activity can : -stimulate imbalances.

                                -lead to depression.

                                -irritability.

                                -mood swings.     

                                -may alter personality.

Serotonin

§  One of the major factors in mood foods is the brain chemical serotonin.

 

§  Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps

   maintain a “happy” feeling.

 

• Serotonin is made using tryptophan which is an amino acid found in protein rich foods along with Vitamin B6, B12 and folic acid.

§  Serotonin levels rise & fall based on

    diet & Vitamin intake.

§  High levels:

           1. improve mood relieving depression .

           2. Increase pain tolerance.

           3. responsible for sleep.

           4. keep you calm and relaxed

           5. responsible appetite levels.

 

§  Low levels:                      

 

    1. Insomnia.

    2. Depression.

    3. Increased pain sensitivity.

    4. Aggressive behavior.

    5. body may start to crave carbohydrates.

Which food components have potential as antidepressants?

–     Charbohydrates .

–     Protein………Tryptophan.

–     Fat ………Omega-3 fatty acid.

–     Vitamins, minerals ..…. Folate, Vit B6, B12, iodine, zinc, folic acid are essential for normal development of nervous system.

–     Probiotics.

Mood and carbohydrate

§   There is a direct link between mood and blood sugar balance.

 

§   All carbohydrate foods are broken down into glucose and your brain rely on glucose.

 

§   The best way to keep your blood sugar level even is to eat what is called a low Glycemic Load (GL) diet and avoid, as much as you can, refined sugar and refined foods.

 

§  Refined sugar and refined carbohydrates is also linked with depression because these foods not only supply little nutrients but they also use up the mood enhancing B vitamins; for metabolism.

 

§   Eating instead whole foods, fruits, vegetables, and regular meals.

Sugars and Refined carbohydrate

§  May cause blood sugar levels to

   rise & fall very quickly.

 

§  May cause blood

   sugars to go too low,               

   risk hypoglycemia.              

 

§   Eating lots of sugar is going to give you sudden peaks and troughs in the amount of glucose in your blood; symptoms appear as :

§   Fatigue.

§   Irritability.

§    dizziness.

§    insomnia.

§    excessive sweating (especially at night).

§    poor concentration and forgetfulness.

§   excessive thirst.

§    depression and crying spells.

§   digestive disturbances and blurred vision. 

Tryptophan and refined carbohydrate

Trigger quick release of insulin that

lowers blood levels of amino acids

except tryptophan.

 

§  Tryptophan stays in the blood and can enter the brain.

Whole grain starch

§  Trigger a slow release of insulin that lowers  blood levels of most  amino acids except  tryptophan.

 

§  Serotonin levels rise gradually, and blood

   sugar levels remain stable.

Diet and Serotonin Levels

§   Sugar and Refined Starches (Processed foods)

 Milled: contains only endosperm

 White bread, white rice, pasta, potato

 Sweets: cookies, cakes, pies

§   Whole grains

 Contain bran, germ, endosperm

 Whole wheat bread, pasta, crackers,brown rice, and oatmeal

Effect of High Carbohydrate Meal

Person consumes carb rich snack /meal.

 Pancreas releases insulin

 Blood levels of all aa, except tryptophan decrease when aa go into the muscle cells.

 Tryptophan levels increase & enter the brain.

 Tryptophan, with B6, B12 and folic acid converted to serotonin.

 Mood improves and carbohydrate cravings.

reduced

Protein Serotonin Connection

§   Eat protein rich meal, blood becomes

 flooded with tryptophan & other amino acids.

 

§   Tryptophan gets crowded out, & only

a small amount gets through the blood brain

   barrier.

 

§   Serotonin levels do not rise much

  after a meal that has protein, even if

  that food is high in tryptophan.

 

§  Consuming a high protein meal

   lowers brain tryptophan & serotonin levels.

 

§   Eating a high carbohydrate snack

   has the OPPOSITE effect.

Effect of High Protein Meal

§   Person consumes a protein rich

     snack or meal.

 

§   Blood levels of all amino acids rise (including tryptophan)

 

§   All blood and amino acids compete for entry into the

    brain.

 

§   Relatively low amounts of tryptophan

     enter the brain

 

§   Only moderate amounts of seratonin are made and stored.

 

§   Person feels depressed, irritable, and/or crave carbohydrate rich snack

 

Tryptophan depletion studies

§  Using drinks rich in competing amino acids  reduces tryptophan passage across the blood brain barrier.

§  The effect of acute tryptophan depletion has been studied in patients with a history of depression who are currently free of symptoms.

§  Tryptophan depletion results in a transient  return of depressive symptoms.

Vitamin B6 and Serotonin Levels

§  Vitamin B6 is necessary for the conversion of tryptophan to both niacin and serotonin.

 

§  Vitamin B6  Good sources:

   chicken, fish, pork,eggs, banana.

Other factors might contribute to a deficiency of serotonin

§  Several dietary, lifestyle, and health factors reduce the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin, including :

 

§   cigarette smoking.

§   high sugar intake.

§   alcohol abuse.

§   excessive consumption of protein.

§   hypoglycemia and diabetes. 

Fat and Mood

§  Although it has sometimes been given a bad reputation, fat is important in the good mood foods category.

§  Too little fat in the diet will leave you feeling unhappy.

§   Foods with high fat content release endorphins and make you feel happy.

§  It is best to stick to healthy fats, such as the monounsaturated fats that are found in some nut, olive and fish oils.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids

§  Specific Omega 3: DHA comprises

   50% of total fats in nerve tissue.

 

§  decrease levels of omega 3’ s in nervous

   system may increase likelihood depression.

 

§  Fats may affect mood by regulating

   serotonin: low serotonin = increased

   rates of depression & suicide.

 Good Sources of Omega 3 FA

1. Atlantic salmon

2. Flax (13 g/day)

3. Canola Oil

4. Shrimp

5. Halibut                          

6. Walnuts

Depression in Pregnancy

§  Common Problem

§       10-15% of women experience major depressive disorder depressive during pregnancy.

–         Postpartum Depression and Omega-3 Fish Oils

  By adding the omega-3 fatty acid DHA to your diet, you can significantly decrease the effects of postpartum depression.

 

   Current research shows a link between a mother's DHA intake and postpartum depression, the latter of which affects 15-20% of women in the U.S.

Selenium and Mood

§   Lack of selenium may have a negative impact on your mood.

 

§   People lacking selenium show signs

   of anxiety, irritability, & depression.

 

§    Deficiency corrected: mood improves.

 

§   Found in brazil nuts, seafood, lean

   beef or chicken & mushrooms,

   sunflower seeds and whole grain cereals.

 

 Folic acid

§   Studies report that patients with major depression have low plasma, serum or red blood cell folate levels .

 

§   Papakostas et al (2004) followed 71 patients with major depression who had responded to therapy with fluoxetine.

§    Over 40% of patients with low folate levels relapsed, whilst, only 3% of those with higher levels of folate relapased over 28 weeks.

Probiotics in depression

§   Probiotics are defined as ‘living micro-organisms, which upon ingestion in certain numbers exert health benefits beyond general nutrition.

§   The principal rationale for the use of probiotics in treating major depression rests on their potential for suppressing the pro-inflammatory component of depression.

§   Bifidobacteria have the capacity to:

v  suppress corticosteroid levels.

v  reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines

 

Conclusion

§   Healthy Mood Diet:

§   􀁺 Low glycemic load foods.

§   􀁺 Protein with each meal.

       – Animal, eggs, organic dairy, nuts, seeds, beans.

§   􀁺 Vegetable or fruit w/each meal/snack.

§   􀁺 Increased fiber.

§   􀁺 Whole Grains only.

§   􀁺 Filtered water.

§   􀁺 Healthy fats.

       – Omega 3s, olive, avocado, nuts, seeds.

* Maintain physical activity to

    increase endorphins.