Why Does Food Matter For Mental Health? Discover The Relationship Between Nutrition And Mood

In a previous video I talk about the Mediterranean diet and how it has been shown in studies to improve depression. In this video I discuss why healthy food helps your brain. It has to do with oxidative stress.

There’s different types of stress. Mental Stress comes from external pressures like deadlines, expectations, demands. You can also be stressed physically from things like infections or surgery. These processes weaken your body’s defenses. But there is another type of stress that occurs at a cellular level, and it’s called oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress occurs when you get free radical formation that causes tissue damage. Think of it as your body’s rusting process. You see this on a macro level when the paint on your car starts to fade over time from exposure to the oxygen in the air.

Well a similar thing happens in your body at a cellular level. We see the effects of oxidation with aging, cancer, heart disease and many other diseases. It’s also been linked to psychiatric illnesses like autism, ADHD, bipolar disorder, depression and schizophrenia. Oxidative stress affects all of the cells in your body, but the brain is particularly sensitive to oxidative stress.

Your body organs are made up a trillions of cells. Inside each cell you have the cell components called organelles. The mitochondria is one of these organelles that generates energy.The mitochondria take nutrients from the food we eat and convert it to energy. This chemical reaction uses oxygen and produces free radicals as a byproduct. Think of it as a manufacturing plant putting out harsh chemicals into the atmosphere.

Inside the mitochondria, these free radicals damage the DNA, and proteins that are inside of the cell. Certain nutrients neutralize the free radicals and these are called antioxidants. So if the food you eat contains enough antioxidants, then the mitochondria factory doesn’t produces as much toxic waste.

Here are some of antioxidants that are extracted from the food.
Vitamin A which you can get from Dairy, eggs, and liver
Vitamin C which comes from most fruits and vegetables, especially berries, oranges, and bell peppers
Vitamin E which you can get from nuts and seeds, and green, leafy vegetables
Beta-carotene: you get this with Brightly colored fruits and vegetables, like carrots, peas, spinach, and mangoes
Lycopene which comes from Pink and red fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes and watermelon
Lutein and selenium. Selenium comes from rice, corn and grains as well as nuts eggs, cheese and legumes

There is debate as to whether or not vitamin supplements really make in impact on changing the course of disease. This may have something to do with bioavailability. The supplement form may not be processed the same by the mitochondria as it is when it comes from food. Also high doses of some supplements like vitamin E and betacatorene are linked to increased risk of tumor growth.

There are external factors that increase free radical production inside the mitochondria. These are things like pollution, UV exposure, and cigarette smoke. Another thing you can do to reduce oxidative stress is reduce your exposure to UV light by wearing clothes that protect your skin and sun block. You should also minimizing your exposure to cigarette smoke. Inflammation is an internal source of free radical production. Your diet choices also effect inflammation. Things like fried foods, high sugar and processed food increase inflammation.

Links from the video

References
Smaga I. et al. Oxidative stress as an etiological factor and a potential treatment target of psychiatric disorders. Part 2. Depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and autism. Pharmacol Rep. 2015 Jun; 67(3):569-80. Epub 2015 Jan 5.

Zhang XY, Yao JK.Oxidative stress and therapeutic implications in psychiatric disorders. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2013 Oct 1; 46:197-9. Epub 2013 Mar 21.

Joseph N, Zhang-James Y, Perl A, Faraone SV. Oxidative Stress and ADHD: A Meta-Analysis. J Atten Disord. 2015;19(11):915–924.

Disclaimer: All of the information on this channel is for educational purposes and not intended to be specific/personal medical advice from me to you. Watching the videos or getting answers to comments/question, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. If you have your own doctor, perhaps these videos can help prepare you for your discussion with your doctor.

[dijondonjuan]

Dang, on a molecular level...So Juicing is one of the best thing you can do for your body right? Lol

[pleaseBELIZEme]

"I don't know what that means" 🤣😂🤣

[Exodus.Pi]

1 day of bad meals has me down for a couple days. Keto has changed me for the better. Real meats and leafy greens AND magnesium/potassium. Thanks Doc!

[Keshia.means.GreatJoy]

This is why My Mom always tells me to make sure I remember to eat because it truly effects the brain .

[yopirate]

Has anybody told you recently how awesome you are? Awesome advice and great videos, so so helpful. Thank you for making them :-)

[amandarodrigues]

Always coming back while studying for college. I love the way she explains complicated concepts with her calm voice, it's really suiting.

[dr.ankitadebnath]

You are amazing Dr. Tracey Marks. Thank you for enlightening us.
Namaste🙏
Love from India.🇮🇳

[vintagegirl]

"I don't know what that means" that man gave me a belly laugh!! Thanks for making my day!

[BeingBetter]

Excellent video. I've been eating Brazil nuts every day for the selenium. Selenium helps prevent the flu also. No one in our family has been sick yet except for a very minor cold. It's so good to see a psychiatrist discussing diet and nutrition.

[rominarehi]

Thank you Doctor Tracey Marks your videos about diet and stress are so informative and love them. I tried the Mediterranean diet for a couple of weeks and was impressed with the results both mentally and physically but fell off the diet because I restricted calories too much. I will be trying it again next week. Thanks again for your videos and I hope you make more about diet and mental function.

[jodav]

Thankyou I’ve been looking for this information!!! I’m a drug rehab cook and this is so helpful and easy to watch and understand fir my clients it’s like a light goes on when I watch these with them 💜

[Joyness]

The ironic thing about chocolate is that it is mostly regarded as an unhealthy food. As candy bars it's basically saturated fat, sugar, processed fillers, and preservatives flavored with chocolate, but alone it is considered one of the more potent sources of antioxidants. In its raw, unmixed form it has fiber, protein, antioxidants, and vitamins, etc. You want either pure cacao, or a chocolate bar that's 70 percent or more chocolate. And you want cocoa to be the first ingredient, not sugar. Really enjoying these informative videos.

[pocoeagle]

Next time Dr. Marks is going to cook a healthy meal for us online (I think)? 😁. Great video doc 😃🇳🇱

[jodav]

Foid that helps with drug withdrawal is priceless Thankyou I’ve now started a cooking course fir them 💜

[janeadelaidelennox]

I don’t eat enough - it’s very healthy food but not enough - so I take a lot of supplements - I analyze it so I can kind of guess what I need. This was very helpful to hear.

[Yolduranduran]

I just got my calendar yesterday!! So excited. Going to write on it and put stickers on.

[davinagray]

GREAT, GREAT INFO THANK U 👍 Sooo MUCH. IT WAS SO HELPFUL 👊👋👋👋

[carlaharrison]

I feel as if my head is in a bubble sometimes. I have migraines everyday and hear my heart beat in my ear. I'm praying for healing. 🙏🏻🙏🏻 I also have palpitations and heat sensations over my body.

[michelleobrien]

I have an unbelievable amount of anxiety. I have tingling and twitching all over my body. It became really bad after I had my first baby 11 months ago. I became ill and I was on several different medications and antibiotics and I started to eat terrible processed food and stopped eating most fruit and veg as I was depressed and anxious. I think this ruined my gut health and I am now learning how important food is for your brain. The gut and brain are so intensely linked to each other.

[marycowart]

Thank you so much!..I have been eating the Med diet a month now and it has helped