Over half the people in the study had a vitamin B12 deficiency.
Low intake of this vitamin might hinder cognitive functions like learning and memory.
Those in the study with lower vitamin levels at the start were at double the risk of significant cognitive decline.
While antidepressants diminish both positive and negative feelings this supplement only lessens negative mood.
Manic episodes can lead to dangerous risk-taking and delusional thinking — it frequently requires hospitalisation.
Manic episodes can lead to dangerous risk-taking and delusional thinking — it frequently requires hospitalisation.
Eating processed meats like beef jerky and salami is linked to manic episodes.
Manic episodes are a symptom of bipolar disorder and involve becoming euphoric, restless, experiencing a reduced need for sleep and having a racing mind.
Manic episodes can lead to dangerous risk-taking and delusional thinking — it frequently requires hospitalisation.
People who ate nitrate-cured meats were 3.5 times more likely to be hospitalised for mania as those who had not eaten the food, the researchers found.
Professor Robert Yolken, study co-author, said:
“We looked at a number of different dietary exposures and cured meat really stood out.
It wasn’t just that people with mania have an abnormal diet.”
The results come from 1,101 people with and without psychiatric disorders.
It wasn’t clear from this study how much cured meat was linked to mania.
However, the researchers also carried out a lab study on rats.
Some they fed store-bought beef-jerky and these started to show signs of mania within two weeks of eating the meat.
Professor Yolken said:
“We tried to make sure the amount of nitrate used in the experiment was in the range of what people might reasonably be eating.”
The scientists also tried feeding the rats nitrate-free meat — these did not show symptoms of mania, suggesting it was the nitrate causing the problem.
While small amounts of cured meats are unlikely to set off manic episodes in humans, further research is required.
Ms Seva Khambadkone, the study’s first author, said:
“It’s clear that mania is a complex neuropsychiatric state, and that both genetic vulnerabilities and environmental factors are likely involved in the emergence and severity of bipolar disorder and associated manic episodes.
Our results suggest that nitrated cured meat could be one environmental player in mediating mania.”
The researchers think that bacteria in the gut mediate the link between nitrates and mania.
Professor Yolken said:
“There’s growing evidence that germs in the intestines can influence the brain.
And this work on nitrates opens the door for future studies on how that may be happening.”
The study was published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry (Khambadkone et al., 2018).
What mothers eat during pregnancy may have lasting effects on their child’s ADHD and autism risk.
Children who don’t eat enough of this food are more likely to be antisocial and unkind.
One-quarter of the world’s population has this mineral deficiency that is linked to anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.
One-quarter of the world’s population has this mineral deficiency that is linked to anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.
An iron deficiency is the most common nutrient deficiency and it can impact mental health, research finds.
Low iron levels can exacerbate symptoms of anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.
Many people with depression, for example, have a history of anaemia.
Higher rates of anxiety disorders, sleep disorders and psychotic disorders are linked to an iron deficiency.
It has been linked to mental health problems in both young and old.
An iron deficiency is frequently linked to symptoms of fatigue — which often combines with depression.
Dr Stephanie Weinberg Levin, the study’s first author, said:
“We don’t always go looking for nutrient deficiencies, but they can really take a large toll on well-being.
Iron is the most common nutrient deficiency and can have a big impact.
You can be iron-deficient without having anemia, but many mental health care providers aren’t aware that iron deficiency by itself has been linked to worse symptoms, or that supplementation has been linked to improved symptoms.
But there is evidence there.”
The researchers examined multiple studies on the connection between iron deficiency and mental health.
Many have found that iron supplementation appear to improve the symptoms of those with and without mental health diagnoses.
Supplementation can even help with relatively mild iron deficiency.
The usual benchmark for iron deficiency is 30 ng/mol.
However, one study found that supplementation for those with levels below 100 ng/mol was beneficial for negative mood and fatigue (Mikami et al., 2022).
Iron deficiency should be treated by supplementation, since the typical diet cannot provide enough, the study’s authors write.
Most types of iron supplementation will work, however, the disadvantages of supplementation are that 70 percent of people experience side-effects.
These can include a metallic taste in the mouth, vomiting, nausea and constipation/diarrhoea.
So, the key is to find the type that has the lowest side-effects.
Ferrous sulfate is the cheapest, but other forms, such as ferrous iron protein succinylate and ferrous bisglycinate may have fewer gastrointestinal side-effects (but they are more expensive).
As for the amount, there is no clear guidance, but the study’s authors suggest:
“The maximum amount of oral iron that can be absorbed is approximately 25 mg/d of elemental iron.
A 325 mg ferrous sulfate tablet contains 65 mg of elemental iron, of which approximately 25 mg is absorbed and utilized.”
Supplements should be taken for 6 to 8 weeks and it may take 6 months for the body’s iron stores to be replenished.
Dr Levin concluded:
“Iron supplements are inexpensive and can really make a significant impact in someone’s mental health if they’re deficient.”
Note that a physician should be consulted: people with inflammatory bowel conditions, chronic kidney disease or the pregnant should not take iron supplements orally.
The study was published in the journal Current Psychiatry (Levin & Gattari, 2023).
The brain ‘remembers’ junk food, and it does not forget easily.
These are some common signs of a deficiency in vitamin B12.
These are some common signs of a deficiency in vitamin B12.
Loss of energy and problems concentrating can both be signs of vitamin B12 deficiency, research suggests.
Lack of the crucial vitamin has also been linked to other depression symptoms, such as low mood.
In fact, people with a deficiency in vitamin B12 are at triple the risk of developing melancholic depression, one study has found.
Constipation, muscle weakness and a general feeling of being tired are some other common signs of vitamin B12 deficiency.
It may be that one-quarter of people have a deficiency in vitamin B12.
Vitamin B12 is used by the body to make red blood cells and in supporting a healthy nervous system.
Fortunately, the deficiency is relatively easy to correct.
Foods that contain high amounts of vitamin B12 include beef, salmon, eggs, low-fat milk and dairy in general.
People at higher risk of suffering vitamin B12 deficiency include vegetarians, older people and those with digestive disorders.
Vitamin B12 has been trialled in the treatment of some mental health problems.
One study has found that B vitamins can help people with psychosis to improve their concentration.
People recovering from psychosis in the study performed better on concentration tests after taking B vitamins.
Dr Kelly Allott, the study’s first author, said:
“This indicates the B-vitamins could have a neuroprotective effect; although they are not improving a patient’s concentration skills, they may be protecting these skills from declining.
Psychosis is a diverse condition where everybody presents with different symptoms and a different biological profile.
What was particularly interesting was that the participants who had abnormally high homocysteine levels at baseline were most responsive to the B-vitamin supplements, in terms of improvement in attention.
The results of this study support a more personalised approach to vitamin supplementation in first episode psychosis, suggesting those with elevated homocysteine are likely to benefit most.”
The study was published in the journal Biological Psychiatry (Allott et al., 2019).
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