The Holistic Health Warrior

Can sugar consumption affect mental health? 

For years, decades even, researchers and even some “think outside of the box doctors” have known that what we eat, and more importantly what we absorb and metabolize has a direct effect on how we think, feel and act. 

Noted British psychiatric researcher Malcolm Peet conducted a provocative cross-cultural analysis of the relationship between diet and mental illness.

Professor Malcom Peet is a Consultant Psychiatrist with Doncaster and South Humber NHS Healthcare Trust, and Honorary Professor at the University of Sheffield and at Sheffield Hallam University.

From a background of research in psychopharmacology, Professor Peet has been studying the role of nutrition in mental health since 1990. He has pioneered research into the role of omega-3 fatty acids in both depression and schizophrenia – including controlled treatment trials – and remains at the forefront of international research in this field. He has also shown that schizophrenia is more severe in countries where the national diet is higher in sugar and saturated fats, while depression is more common in countries with lower intakes of omega-3 from fish and seafood. These findings could help to explain why depression is more common and schizophrenia more severe in developed countries than in the developing world.

Professor Peet continues to investigate the links he has found between diet and mental health and to explore plausible mechanisms. More recently, his research has also focused on the practical applications of nutritional interventions within mental health services in the United Kingdom, and their implications for professional training. He has published and lectured extensively on the topic of nutrition and mental health and is highly skilled at communicating the latest research and its implications to public and professional as well as academic audiences. His primary finding was a strong link between high sugar consumption and the risk of both depression and schizophrenia.

According to Professor Peet, there are at least two potential mechanisms through which refined sugar intake could exert a toxic effect on mental health. First, sugar actually suppresses the activity of a key growth hormone in the brain called BDNF. BDNF levels are critically low in both depression and schizophrenia.

Second, sugar consumption triggers a cascade of chemical reactions in your body that promote chronic inflammation. In the long term, inflammation disrupts the normal functioning of your immune system and wreaks havoc on your brain. Once again, it’s linked to a greater risk of depression and schizophrenia.

Source: http://blogs.mercola.com/sites/vitalvotes/archive/2009/12/04/How-Eating-Sugar-Can-Cause-Mental-Illness.aspx

It really makes you think, doesn’t it? How many people do you know that would be greatly helped with diet over medication? 

To Your Great Health,

Holistic Health Warrior

More Thoughts from Mellisa

Question: What are you without an immune system?
Answer: You are dead.

As morbid as it may sound, it’s true. When your immune system is weak you will get sick. When your immune system completely fails you will die.

If I could show you a way to boost your Natural Killer Cells by up to 437%, would you be interested in hearing more? Of course you would.

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