Whether you are a foodie or not, we can agree that eating is one of the great pleasures of life. Very few things stand comparison with enjoying a delicious meal, especially when our empty stomach starts to growl asking for more ‘fuel’. Passion for food often becomes stronger for those who are determined to embrace a healthy way of life and, in the process, learn what options are more beneficial for their bodies.
This brings us to a new study that reinforces the link between food and health or, being more precise, brain health. Scientists have developed a new scale including both plant and animal-based foods that can help fight depression and other mental disorders like dementia and anxiety.
Such an evidence-based scale was discussed last May at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) annual meeting, where experts pointed out the importance of what they describe as brain essential nutrients (BEN) for both the treatment and prevention of depression. Among these nutrients, we can find long-chain Omega 3 fatty acids, calcium, magnesium, fiber and vitamins B1, B9, B12, D and E, which have anti-inflammatory properties and contribute to neuronal membrane stabilization.
As expected, plant foods have a special prominence in this ‘brain-food scale’, but experts decided to include animal sources as well in order to cover vitamin B12, which is found in meat and other natural products and it’s essential for brain health. Here are some of the brain-friendly foods that were listed in the symposium:
– Leafy green vegetables (kale, spinach, broccoli or collards)
– Organ and game meats
– Nuts (pecans, walnuts and peanuts)
– Bivalves like mussels, oysters and clams
– Mollusks (mainly, squid, snail and octopus)
– Fish (sardines and salmon)
Special diets, an endless discussion
According to researchers, part of the point is to help patients make better choices when it comes to eating meat, above all that of grass-fed and pastured animals, since we live in an era of multiple special diets (gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan or paleo, just to mention some popular ones) that may be misleading when not followed properly or under medical supervision.
Focusing on the vegan diet, the speakers highlighted the risks involving vitamin B12 deficiency, which can lead to several health conditions such as anemia, depression and irreversible damage to neurons. In fact, they even mentioned a case report of 30 vegan mums 60% of whom gave birth to offspring with developmental delays (and 37%, to babies with cerebral atrophy). Despite such statistics, let’s not forget that vitamin supplements can correct and prevent nutritional deficiencies, so after all, it’s all about monitoring your body.
The ultimate goal is that, by identifying brain essential nutrients in our food, psychiatrists can have additional tools to help both diagnose and treat their patients, who could have personalized diets. “The data are very clear that there’s a powerful prevention signal when we help our patients eat better”, Dr. Drew Ramsey, assistant clinical professor at Columbia University (New York) and one of the speakers of the meeting, told Medscape Medical News.
Beyond depression and dementia, the next step in this brain-food research is to check whether its positive outcomes are also applicable to other disorders like attention-deficit, hyperactivity and addictions.
