Mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety disorders are widespread in the European industrialised countries and can probably also be understood as a consequence of the living conditions in a modern industrial society. They can affect anyone, even the supposedly strong and powerful who are least expected to suffer. So far, it has not been clarified in all details why these diseases are so widespread. The fact is that they can be attributed to a variety of causes, certainly not only to people's stressful environment. We now know that mood swings, depression and anxiety are caused by both exogenous and endogenous factors. On the exogenous side, psychosocial influences such as traumatic experiences and chronic stress are among them. On the endogenous side, neurobiological factors play a prominent role. These include changes in the hormone balance as well as changes in the concentration of neuronal messenger substances in the brain. Chronic inflammatory processes have been identified by neurologists in recent years as a further influencing factor. Since these usually remain undetected by doctors and patients, they were overlooked for a long time as another possible cause or amplifier of mood swings and depression.
Inflammation influences mood
Today we know from intensive neurobiological research that inflammation seems to play an active role in the development and amplification of depressive episodes. According to this, neuronal inflammatory processes can influence the way we react to exogenous stimuli. As the researchers have found out, they promote exaggerated reactions to negative information flowing in on people from outside. Changes in the endogenous reward system and in the expression of physical symptoms are also associated with inflammation. Inflammation, on the other hand, seems to have little influence on the cognitive abilities of those affected. In addition, research in recent years has also given us an idea of how inflammation might be linked to depression at the molecular level. According to this, the smallest inflammations in the brain can disturb the balance of neuronal messenger substances such as melatonin and serotonin and lead to a deficiency in nerve endings of brain cells. The lack of serotonin in the ends of brain cells known as synapses has been shown to be a cause of depression. If the serotonin deficiency is corrected by certain drugs, the depression also improves. The most important antidepressants used by doctors today work quite successfully according to this principle of action. However, these drugs cannot inhibit the underlying inflammation. If they could, one of the causes of serotonin deficiency and thus also a cause of depression would be eliminated. There have been studies on treating depression with anti-inflammatory drugs such as diclofenac, ibuprofen and others. However, only with very moderate success. So far, none of the anti-inflammatory drugs has been approved for the treatment of depression. This would also be problematic, since the anti-inflammatory drugs usually used as rheumatism medicines can be quite problematic because of their side effects. It would be much more elegant to influence inflammatory processes in the brain with natural means, especially since these exist.
Food for Mood - Improving depressive moods with food
Numerous foods are natural anti-inflammatories that we can use. These include pineapples, lemons, peppers, tomatoes, nuts, vegetable oils, fatty fish and a few more. Whether they are all equally useful as natural anti-inflammatories is still unclear due to lack of studies. As part of a healthy balanced diet, they are definitely beneficial to health, especially since the risk of depression increases with decreasing diet quality, as does the risk of other diseases. For a few of these foods, there are already concrete studies that deal with the question of whether they can actually have a positive influence on depression in practice. Such studies can then also provide assistance in setting up an anti-inflammatory-antidepressant diet plan. Such studies exist for the anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids from plant and animal sources. That is why good vegetable oils (e.g. rapeseed oil, linseed oil) and fatty fish (e.g. salmon, mackerel) are simply part of a healthy diet that can also have a favourable influence on mood swings.
Tip:
Of the common vegetable oils, the vegetable omega-3 fatty acid ALA is most abundant in linseed oil, rapeseed oil, walnut oil and soybean oil. Sunflower oil and olive oil contain only few omega-3 fatty acids. Of the edible fish, herring, sardine, tuna, salmon, mackerel and eel contain the most omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA). Cod and haddock contain only a little of them.
Source:
Gałecki P, Talarowska M. Inflammatory theory of depression. Psychiatr Pol. 2018 Jun 30;52(3):437-447.
Adzic M et al. Therapeutic Strategies for Treatment of Inflammation-related Depression. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2018 Jan 30;16(2):176-209.
Larrieu T, Layé S. Food for Mood: Relevance of Nutritional Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Depression and Anxiety. Front Physiol. 2018 Aug 6;9:1047.
Deacon G et al. Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and the treatment of depression; Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2017 Jan 2;57(1):212-223.
Inflammation influences mood
Today we know from intensive neurobiological research that inflammation seems to play an active role in the development and amplification of depressive episodes. According to this, neuronal inflammatory processes can influence the way we react to exogenous stimuli. As the researchers have found out, they promote exaggerated reactions to negative information flowing in on people from outside. Changes in the endogenous reward system and in the expression of physical symptoms are also associated with inflammation. Inflammation, on the other hand, seems to have little influence on the cognitive abilities of those affected. In addition, research in recent years has also given us an idea of how inflammation might be linked to depression at the molecular level. According to this, the smallest inflammations in the brain can disturb the balance of neuronal messenger substances such as melatonin and serotonin and lead to a deficiency in nerve endings of brain cells. The lack of serotonin in the ends of brain cells known as synapses has been shown to be a cause of depression. If the serotonin deficiency is corrected by certain drugs, the depression also improves. The most important antidepressants used by doctors today work quite successfully according to this principle of action. However, these drugs cannot inhibit the underlying inflammation. If they could, one of the causes of serotonin deficiency and thus also a cause of depression would be eliminated. There have been studies on treating depression with anti-inflammatory drugs such as diclofenac, ibuprofen and others. However, only with very moderate success. So far, none of the anti-inflammatory drugs has been approved for the treatment of depression. This would also be problematic, since the anti-inflammatory drugs usually used as rheumatism medicines can be quite problematic because of their side effects. It would be much more elegant to influence inflammatory processes in the brain with natural means, especially since these exist.
Food for Mood - Improving depressive moods with food
Numerous foods are natural anti-inflammatories that we can use. These include pineapples, lemons, peppers, tomatoes, nuts, vegetable oils, fatty fish and a few more. Whether they are all equally useful as natural anti-inflammatories is still unclear due to lack of studies. As part of a healthy balanced diet, they are definitely beneficial to health, especially since the risk of depression increases with decreasing diet quality, as does the risk of other diseases. For a few of these foods, there are already concrete studies that deal with the question of whether they can actually have a positive influence on depression in practice. Such studies can then also provide assistance in setting up an anti-inflammatory-antidepressant diet plan. Such studies exist for the anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids from plant and animal sources. That is why good vegetable oils (e.g. rapeseed oil, linseed oil) and fatty fish (e.g. salmon, mackerel) are simply part of a healthy diet that can also have a favourable influence on mood swings.
Tip:
Of the common vegetable oils, the vegetable omega-3 fatty acid ALA is most abundant in linseed oil, rapeseed oil, walnut oil and soybean oil. Sunflower oil and olive oil contain only few omega-3 fatty acids. Of the edible fish, herring, sardine, tuna, salmon, mackerel and eel contain the most omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA). Cod and haddock contain only a little of them.
Source:
Gałecki P, Talarowska M. Inflammatory theory of depression. Psychiatr Pol. 2018 Jun 30;52(3):437-447.
Adzic M et al. Therapeutic Strategies for Treatment of Inflammation-related Depression. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2018 Jan 30;16(2):176-209.
Larrieu T, Layé S. Food for Mood: Relevance of Nutritional Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Depression and Anxiety. Front Physiol. 2018 Aug 6;9:1047.
Deacon G et al. Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and the treatment of depression; Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2017 Jan 2;57(1):212-223.