Food and mood: eating well helps ease depression

Date published: 1/30/2005

AYBE THE OLD SAYING "you are what you eat" should be changed to "you feel what you eat."

Certain nutrients can help ease depression, but they are not a substitute for conventional treatments such as medication or counseling.

About one in every six Americans experiences major depression at some point in their lives, and more experience milder cases. I am no exception. I remember feeling as if I had fallen into a deep, dark hole for several months after my first marriage ended.

A person need not be suicidal or even tearful to be considered depressed. Other symptoms include a feeling of sadness or emptiness, loss of energy, inability to concentrate, loss of pleasure in regular activities, restlessness, irritability, feelings of hopelessness or guilt, sleeping too little or too much, vague aches and pains, digestive problems, and changes in weight and appetite.

Eating well can improve the results of therapy and medicines, some studies show. It is particularly important to get enough fiber-rich carbohydrate foods, as well as several B vitamins and omega-3 fats.

Eating carbohydrates raises levels of serotonin, a brain chemical that makes you feel happy, which is why some people binge on cookies when feeling sad.

Unfortunately, if you eat lots of sugary foods, your blood sugar and brain chemistry can go on a roller-coaster ride of highs and lows. Better carbohydrates are fiber-rich foods, such as whole-wheat bread, popcorn, pears, sweet potatoes and the like. Whole grains, fruits and vegetables are better carbs because they are digested more slowly and help keep serotonin levels even.

The B vitamins, most importantly folic acid, vitamin B-6 and vitamin B-12, appear to help fight depression. These B vitamins work together in a variety of ways and are involved in the production of brain chemicals.

Interestingly, low levels of any of this trio of vitamins can increase homocysteine in the blood. Homocysteine is a chemical that is linked not just to depression but also to heart attacks and strokes, as well as dementia.

This is especially important for elderly people, because many do not eat enough folate-rich foods, and our ability to absorb vitamin B-12 declines as we age. One German study found 30 percent of the elderly were deficient in folate, and up to 60 percent lacked vitamin B-12.

Date published: 1/30/2005