Depression and nutrient lacking

Gummy Panda

I was wondering what people make of this vid. The idea is that depression can be treated by looking at the nutrients a patient is lacking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZPRNTjrrbY

I find it interesting as a person who sometimes gets a bout of mild depression e.g. just feeling fed up and sorry for myself.

blueruin

Gummy Panda wrote: »

I was wondering what people make of this vid. The idea is that depression can be treated by looking at the nutrients a patient is lacking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZPRNTjrrbY

I find it interesting as a person who sometimes gets a bout of mild depression e.g. just feeling fed up and sorry for myself.

It is true that mild depression can be controlled through diet and exercise. In my case my doctor looks out for iron deficiency. Obviously for more severe depression a zumba class ain't gonna cut it...

Shryke

A lack of iron, Vitamin B12 or Folic Acid can lead to anemia which causes depression, anxiety, tiredness and a number of other symptoms.

El_Dangeroso

You can actually diagnose certain types of depression by measuring zinc or B12. That doesn't mean a little pill of vitamins will cure it though.

In fact if you look on wikipedia, there's very few nutrient deficiencies whose symptoms don't include depression, all the B vitamins for example.

Gummy Panda

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

You can actually diagnose certain types of depression by measuring zinc or B12. That doesn't mean a little pill of vitamins will cure it though.

In fact if you look on wikipedia, there's very few nutrient deficiencies whose symptoms don't include depression, all the B vitamins for example.

Well I did a little experiment on myself with niacin. I've slowly being building up my dose. I'm now on 600mg and mood has been great. Everything seems to be water of a duck's back. It could also be I cleaned up my diet a little since Xmas and started taking 3g of vit c, lots of omega 3 fish oil and magnesium daily.

I do remember taking 300 mg the first time. I was in a low mood and hadn't been sleeping well for awhile. After the hot flush ended, I felt like I had a theraputic massage.

SteelyDanJalapeno

Thats pulled out of Food Matters? one of the best documentaries I've seen,

Also recommend Food Inc, neither are all preaching biased bull, there well supported.

Food Inc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eKYyD14d_0

Food Matters

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4DOQ6Xhqss

iguana

I was extremely depressed last year which I was putting down to a type of PTSD as I'd recently been through a very stressful time and figured it would eventually go away. During the summer I went to the doctor about a gynae issue and was diagnosed with anaemia which was caused by menorrhagia. Once I started taking iron supplements the depression I was feeling disappeared almost instantly.

I do think that when people first start feeling depression symptoms the first thing they should do is have a full round of blood tests to check for nutritional deficiency or hormone/thyroid imbalance.

RyanTubs

Gummy Panda wrote: »

Well I did a little experiment on myself with niacin. I've slowly being building up my dose. I'm now on 600mg and mood has been great. Everything seems to be water of a duck's back. It could also be I cleaned up my diet a little since Xmas and started taking 3g of vit c, lots of omega 3 fish oil and magnesium daily.

I do remember taking 300 mg the first time. I was in a low mood and hadn't been sleeping well for awhile. After the hot flush ended, I felt like I had a theraputic massage.

Hey dude any particular brand of niacin you prefer and I presume it's bought in health shops? Also is it recommended to be taking that much vitamin C?

I've never taken any supplements but am inclined to now after reading this. I've suffered from mild depression on and off over the past 3 years. I find exercise is excellent for it a lot of the time but sometimes it just isn't enough. I'd never even thought that it could be linked with nutrition to be honest.

Just out of interest have you done much research into which supplements are most beneficial to people with depression? Also how much niacin & magnesium did you start off on?

Shryke

Hi Tubs I can answer one or two of your questions. You can't really take too much Vitamin C. It's non toxic and water soluble. Whatever your body doesn't use you pee out. Vitamin B is recommended all over. You can pick up Vitamin B Complex which is a combination of the different B vitamins.
You can also get B12 seperately. B12 is being shown to be very beneficial and as with Vit C you can't really take too much. That doesn't mean swallow a bottle of them! But you can take whatever amount you think might work for you, just have a bit of sense too.
If you're looking to get these, I take them myself, I recommend Holland and Barrets. They charge way less than other places and give you more, and higher doses which is probably what you want.
The last thing I'll throw in is fish oil/cod liver oil. It's rich in Vit A and D. Vit D is another one that gets talked about. Our skin makes Vit D in good weather and depression in winter for some people is tentatively linked with a lack of Vit D. Whatever the case may be there it is very good for you and fish oil over all has shown to be excellent for the mind and gets talked about a lot in helping with depression.

Hope that helps a little! Be well.

Doctor_Socks

Some excellent posts here, I agree that nutrition plays a key role in treating depression (Omega 3s are apparently a wonder nutrient when it comes to solving some peoples depression!). Unfortunately people with next to perfect diets can still suffer from depression so don't think that your depression will be fixed by tweaking tiny bits of your diet without visiting a medical professional. ALWAYS get help when suffering from it, as trying to treat it on your own can result in some terrible things happening, that's one thing I have plenty of experience with due to my own depression.

JCabot

Gummy Panda wrote: »

I was wondering what people make of this vid. The idea is that depression can be treated by looking at the nutrients a patient is lacking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZPRNTjrrbY

I find it interesting as a person who sometimes gets a bout of mild depression e.g. just feeling fed up and sorry for myself.

I think people living in ireland are more prone to depression than some other countries. Some of this is due to our diet because a high number of Irish people suffer with celiac's disease and we also have an over dependance on dairy produce.

We also lack good sunshine which is a scorce of vitanim D.

seanybiker

I'm feckered with depression, tiredness but mainly anxiety.
All the doctors, therapists, hypnotists etc that I went to over the years always said to me to have agood diet and excercise.
It is great to help your mind to have a good diet and exercise.
Thing is though, and I know it's not everybody but I feel it hard to motivate myself to do anything. I suffer from anxiety so much that personally I spend most of my time trying to sleep so I can't feel the anxiety and then not being able to sleep it kind of puts a stop to that.
I'd be a fairly extreme case to be honest so please please please if anyone on here or even your friends ever show the smalls signs of depression, anxiety etc just get your diet sorted out before it takes over your life.
I didn't notice what was wrong with me for a while and sadly I left it get a grip on my life. I'm trying since I was a teenager to get out of this God forsaken horrible life, if I knew what I know now when I was younger then I would be a lot better than I am now. The body needs fuel
Good diet = good fuel.

iguana

JCabot wrote: »

Some of this is due to our diet because a high number of Irish people suffer with celiac's disease and we also have an over dependance on dairy produce.

Dairy products are not a problem for the vast majority of Irish people as thousands of years ago our ancestors mutated to allow us to consume dairy into adulthood unlike all other mammals and most humans. Most humans of north-west European and east African ancestry carry a mutation on the second chromosome which allows us to safely and healthily get nutrition from all dairy including uncultured products like milk and cream. The only problem we face is if we over consume to the point of pushing our cholesterol levels too high.

JCabot

Many people are hooked on certain foods and the suggestion of giving them up causes distress. Especially dairy in Ireland and because so much of industry is built on it.

Casein is a protein primarily found in milk and other dairy products and there are links between it and depression. Casein peptides react with opiate receptors in the brain and mimick the effects of opiate drugs like heroin and morphine. No wonder its so hard to imagine giving it up.

There is also some evidence that animal protein especially casein, which is found in dairy may promote some forms of cancer, at least in animals.

iguana

JCabot wrote: »

There is also some evidence that animal protein especially casein, which is found in dairy may promote some forms of cancer, at least in animals.

Which wouldn't be surprising as all mammals with the exception of the descendants of two groups of humans can not safely digest dairy products into adulthood.

JCabot

70% of the worlds population is lactose intolerant unable to digest and metabolize lactose. Studies suggest reducing casein intake can help prevent cancer, heart disease and arthritis. Casein has been linked to prostate cancer and also other forms of health issues.



Its also known that dairy increases the bodies IGF-1 a promoter of cancer and milk can damage the production of insulin in people with a genetic predisposition to getting diabetes. Undigested lactose and the acidic nature of milk encourage the growth of bacteria in our intestines. This increases the risk of cancer because cancer cells thrive in acidic conditions.

After years working with terminally ill patients and discovering how diet effects them and because of my own poor health I decided to remove suspect foods from my diet. I gave up sugar,wheat and animal products which was extremly difficult because it included nearly all processed foods. But I eventually succeeded 5 years ago and with this new diet all my underlining health issues resolved themselves.

about 3 fity

lads thanks for all the good info, i read up an all these threads and it is helping a little bit

El_Dangeroso

JCabot wrote: »

Many people are hooked on certain foods and the suggestion of giving them up causes distress. Especially dairy in Ireland and because so much of industry is built on it.

Casein is a protein primarily found in milk and other dairy products and there are links between it and depression. Casein peptides react with opiate receptors in the brain and mimick the effects of opiate drugs like heroin and morphine. No wonder its so hard to imagine giving it up.

There is also some evidence that animal protein especially casein, which is found in dairy may promote some forms of cancer, at least in animals.

JCabot wrote: »

70% of the worlds population is lactose intolerant unable to digest and metabolize lactose. Studies suggest reducing casein intake can help prevent cancer, heart disease and arthritis. Casein has been linked to prostate cancer and also other forms of health issues.



Its also known that dairy increases the bodies IGF-1 a promoter of cancer and milk can damage the production of insulin in people with a genetic predisposition to getting diabetes. Undigested lactose and the acidic nature of milk encourage the growth of bacteria in our intestines. This increases the risk of cancer because cancer cells thrive in acidic conditions.

After years working with terminally ill patients and discovering how diet effects them and because of my own poor health I decided to remove suspect foods from my diet. I gave up sugar,wheat and animal products which was extremly difficult because it included nearly all processed foods. But I eventually succeeded 5 years ago and with this new diet all my underlining health issues resolved themselves.

That's great for you and all but you really need to read something other than the China Study because if you search the forum pretty much everything you have said about dairy and animal protein has been debunked over and over and over.

Back ON topic, I agree that it's definitely not a good idea to self-treat depression, because failing to help yourself means sinking even further into depression. FIRST thing to do is to reach out to someone, that will help just allowing someone else to help. Been there done that. Sometimes depression is caused by nutrient lacking, but sometimes it's caused by triggers in your life that you can't control.

I could never supplement my way out of depression, but when I was feeling better I could help keep me there by ensuring my diet was nutrient dense. I paid particular attention to fat soluble vitamins and b vits (liver!) and decent sources of vitamin E (red palm oil or mixed tocotrienal supplement) and a little tablet of chromium a day.

theRanger

a fine post from el dangeroso there. you should definitely always reach out for help. you have to remove the "embarrassment" factor from asking for help. there is NO shame in seeking professional help, and help from your friends. a large proportion of the time people just need someone else to talk to.

no doubt diet and exercise are essential, but talking and listening are key.

the world is a good place despite all the things that get us down, help someone less well off, volunteer and get active.

easier said than done i suppose, but we all have options!

Thomas Magnum

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

That's great for you and all but you really need to read something other than the China Study because if you search the forum pretty much everything you have said about dairy and animal protein has been debunked over and over and over.

Really? By whom? The same few posters who subscribe to Sisson, Taubes, Fallon et al?

rocky

I wouldn't call what I used to have depression out of respect for people with the real thing. But what I found helped me was constant doses of fish oil (cod liver oil), about 3 tbsp a day - 3600mg EPA and 4500mg DHA a day.

And I wasn't lacking other nutrients in my diet - I used to eat liver for example 4-5 times a week, my Mg test was normal on the high side, chromium was normal.

saa

I just came across Cron O meter
its like a food diary thing but it calculates lots of vitamins and nutrients in your food roughly.

Apparently I'm not getting a lot of iron, folate or vitamin k.

El_Dangeroso

Thomas Magnum wrote: »

Really? By whom? The same few posters who subscribe to Sisson, Taubes, Fallon et al?

Oh go away vegan troll.

El_Dangeroso

rocky wrote: »

And I wasn't lacking other nutrients in my diet - I used to eat liver for example 4-5 times a week, my Mg test was normal on the high side, chromium was normal.

Serum Mg tells you nothing about your deficiency unless your about to die from hypomagnesia. Where did you get the serum level of chromium done? Is it a special test?

Thomas Magnum

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Oh go away vegan troll.

Ad hominem.

El_Dangeroso

Thomas Magnum wrote: »

Ad hominem.

Nope, just a request.

Thomas Magnum

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Nope, just a request.

Then why with the ad hominem?

rocky

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Serum Mg tells you nothing about your deficiency unless your about to die from hypomagnesia. Where did you get the serum level of chromium done? Is it a special test?

Abroad, it was one of the tests you could pick and choose, each test had an individual price...

Ps. You're probably right about Magnesium, at the same time I was feeling great, and my gf got the test done and she was on the low side, feeling a bit down, no energy etc... maybe no connection, but I made it anyway

El_Dangeroso

Thomas Magnum wrote: »

Then why with the ad hominem?

Look up what ad hominem means.

Donelson

Any of you guys read " potatoes not prozac" and if so what did you think?
From what I remember you eat a spuds before bed which is supposed to increase the amount of insulin in your blood, this supposedly reduces the competition for sertoin (our maybe a precuser) to cross the blood brain barrier and hence it makes you fell better.
I have tried it a few time and I think it works, but it could just be a placebo effect but I can't see it doing any harm.

El_Dangeroso

Donelson wrote: »

Any of you guys read " potatoes not prozac" and if so what did you think?
From what I remember you eat a spuds before bed which is supposed to increase the amount of insulin in your blood, this supposedly reduces the competition for sertoin (our maybe a precuser) to cross the blood brain barrier and hence it makes you fell better.
I have tried it a few time and I think it works, but it could just be a placebo effect but I can't see it doing any harm.

Yeah, but it's not actually clear whether depression is caused by serotonin deficiency in the first place. The 'chemical imbalance' hypothesis of depression is on shakey-ground evidence wise, more likely to be systemic inflammation, so the latest research seems to be pointing to.

A great blog that keeps up with the science on this is the Evolutionary Psychiatry blog by Dr. Emily deans. Here are her posts on depression:

http://evolutionarypsychiatry.blogspot.com/search/label/depression

opinion guy

Gummy Panda wrote: »

I was wondering what people make of this vid. The idea is that depression can be treated by looking at the nutrients a patient is lacking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZPRNTjrrbY

I find it interesting as a person who sometimes gets a bout of mild depression e.g. just feeling fed up and sorry for myself.

On niacin he is understating the side effects. Can cause tachycardia's and liver problems etc.

Don't like his cavalier attitude to be honest.