Exploring the nutritional roots of depression and resilience💚

By Graeme Sait

Hi everyone,

I am currently in the midst of a four-week seminar tour of the East Coast. I’m alternating between workshops and on-farm consults, and it has been an inspiring experience meeting so many good people doing good things.

I am hosted by a mental health initiative for the last seminar on this tour. Following my one-day seminar, the film “Just a Farmer” will be shown. I will also participate in the panel discussion following the film.

It occurred to me that this would be an opportune time to offer a two-part feature on addressing rural depression and optimising mental well-being.

At the best of times, farmers rank as the profession most at risk to the ravages of the dreaded Black Dog. It is hypothesised that this is perhaps a result of isolation or stress, and there is no shortage of either on the land. Most farmers are leveraged to the eyeballs, and the constant round of costly droughts, fires and floods can take a toll. However, in this two-part offering, I will be trying to demonstrate that our susceptibility to stress, anxiety and associated depression can be seriously reduced if we address the nutritional links to mental health.

 It is my belief that many of us are sadly misinformed about the advice that antidepressants and their multiple side effects are the only option to counter depression. There are numerous studies linking nutrient deficiencies to brain health, and we will be looking at some of these, along with other strategies that have proven helpful.

Most of us have no problem recognising the profound link between nutrition and physical illness, but we don’t seem to readily recognise that what we put in our mouths is inextricably intertwined with our mental health. The rapidly emerging field of nutritional neuro-science is illuminating the fact that nutritional factors can dramatically impact cognition, our behaviour, and our emotions.

Fat facts

Let’s start with a big story. Let’s look at Omega-3 fatty acids and their role in how we feel and behave. It is of much concern that most of us are seriously lacking these essential fats. I mentioned that the heathy ratio between omega 6 fatty acids and omega 3 fatty acids is 2:1, in favour of omega 6. 

Unfortunately, the ratio has blown out to 20:1 in Australia, and it is now 26:1 in the US. I would argue that this ratio may be even worse in rural communities, due to less access to seafood, compared to coastal communities. Think about the last time you had a fish dinner? Let’s look at what this might mean for brain health.

Researchers have identified a relationship between falling fish consumption and the increasing rate of depression. You can check out a Lancet study by JR Hibbeln, called “Fish Consumption and Major Depression”, on PubMed. Several studies have shown that omega-3 supplementation can treat depression. Let’s look at why and how that might be working. 

The starting point is to recognise that our grey matter is 50% fat and 34% of those fats are omega-3 fatty acids. The brain desperately needs fat, and that’s one reason why both low-fat diets and cholesterol-lowering medication have been so closely linked to depression. The cell membranes of neurons contain large amounts of omega-3 fats. Their deficiency can accelerate cerebral aging by preventing the renewal of these membranes. In this manner, the provision of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the right ratio is an absolutely essential component of a healthy brain. DHA is the most important of the omega-3 fats, in this context, and this substance can only come from the diet. It is not something our body can make from other fats. That’s why omega-3 supplementation has proven beneficial in countering depression. Both EPA and DHA, found in fish oil, have an antidepressant effect, and it is thought that they are both intimately involved in neuronal messaging.

As we work our way through the nutrients most linked to anxiety and depression, I’ll try to provide some practical guidelines for each of them.

There is no doubt that fish oil is the best source of omega 3, but you need to know how much is needed, what form is best and how you can optimise uptake and utilization. 

The first thing to realise is that, if your omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is 20:1, when it should ideally be 2:1, then a couple of fish oil capsules is really not going to correct such a major shortage. The very best way to address this serious imbalance is to take one tablespoon of cod liver oil a day. That’s equivalent to around 10 fish oil capsules. In depressed patients, daily consumption of dietary supplements of omega-3 fatty acids, which contain 1.5 grams to 3 grams of EPA, has been shown to stimulate mood elevation. That’s 1500 mg to 3000 mg. A tablespoon of cod liver oil contains 3000 mg of EPA/ DHA. This is the therapeutic dose for depression, and it also contains high levels of Vitamin D3. Remember that a shortage of Vitamin D3 is responsible for a condition appropriately called SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). That’s a depressive condition, common in Europe following months of sunlight deficit. Cod liver oil offers a double whammy, but there are a couple of tricks you need to know.

1) Your daily tablespoon of cod liver oil should be taken with the juice of a lemon. This masks the fish flavour, but, more importantly, it prevents the fishy reflux that can be an issue for many.

2) Select a product that does not include a guaranteed analysis on the back. Labelling laws are such that you must be able to guarantee an analysis within 5% accuracy. Every cod has a different liver so that guarantee would be impossible. If the label contains that data, it typically means that the natural source of Vitamin A and Vitamin D has been removed and replaced with the synthetic forms of each of these key nutrients. The man-made forms of these two vitamins are a waste of space.

3) Finally, it is really important to include a source of polyphenols with your fish oil. There is strong research demonstrating a huge improvement in the uptake and utilisation of the EFAs, related to this inclusion. You might take something like grape seed extract with your fish oil or, perhaps, the green tea extract called EGCG. There are also some great studies involving fish oil and resveratrol.

The white poison rears its ugly head.

It might seem like overkill, referring to one of our most popular inputs as poison, but it is actually an accurate description. Just ten decades back, we consumed 5 kgs of sugar per person, per year, and at that stage, sugar was a sweet treat. Now in the US, that consumption has ballooned to 75 kgs per person per year. Now it is not a treat, it’s a destructive addiction that has been directly linked to heart disease, stroke, hypertension, Alzheimer’s and cancer, amongst many other degenerative diseases. Type 2 diabetes is considered “the coming plague”, with as many as 1 in 3 of us considered pre-diabetic. 

What’s that got to do with mental health, you may be wondering? Well, it turns out that blood sugar imbalances are strongly linked to brain health. Those links include a proven relationship with anxiety, aggression and depression, along with ADD, eating disorders, Alzheimer’s and learning difficulties.

Another issue related to that massive excess consumption is the anti-nutrient status of sugar. I.e it takes much more than it gives in terms of depletion of B vitamins and chromium in its metabolism. Chromium is the most important mineral, relative to sugar balance, and the greater your sugar addiction, the lower your chromium levels. The B vitamins, meanwhile, are a major story. Let’s look at them now:

B aware or B damned

You may have heard me talk about homocysteine before. I have previously described this as the “most destructive of free radicals”. It was once thought just to attack the inside of arteries, but now it is understood that this wrecking ball can attack all organs, including the brain. It is an amino acid that, when it has done its job, is recycled. That involves a process called methylation and specific nutrients called methyl donors. The end product of that recycling is a couple of pretty important substances relative to mental health. One of them is called SAMe, and the other is called glutathione. 

SAMe has been used to treat depression for years. In fact, some studies have found it to be as effective as tricyclic antidepressants. There are over 100 placebo-controlled, double blind studies that have shown SAMe to be equal to, or superior to, antidepressant drugs. It works much more quickly, and it does not have the nasty side effects.

200 mg to 600 mg per day is the amount required, but this nutrient is very expensive and often unstable. A slower and more inexpensive strategy is to supplement with Tri-methyl Glycine (TMG), as it is the SAMe precursor. It is much more stable and less expensive, but it works more slowly than SAMe. The rates for TMG are 800 mg to 2000 mg per day, taken on an empty stomach or with fruit.

Glutathione is required for countering oxidative damage in the brain, often due to heavy metals or alcohol. In fact, glutathione peroxidase is the bodies most potent antioxidant enzyme system. This protector is produced from both selenium and glutathione, and many people are selenium-deficient. 

There have been very promising results when delivering intravenous glutathione and selenium. One 2002 PubMed study by D Benton, called “Selenium intake, mood and other aspects of psychological functioning”, confirmed the link between selenium deficiency and depression.

Detailing the Methyl Donors

So, what are the methyl donors I mentioned? Well, there are three B group vitamins, all of which have multiple studies linked to anxiety and depression. These key players include folic acid, vitamin B12 and Vitamin B6. Let’s have a brief look at each of them.

Folic acid is well researched in relation to depression. In one Boston study of 213 seriously depressed patients, it was found that those with the darkest depression, which they termed “more melancholic depression”, had the lowest folate levels, and they were also the least likely to respond to antidepressants.

In another London study, it was found that 1/3 of depressed patients were either deficient or borderline deficient in Folic acid.. Those patients were then involved in a six-month supplementation trial, where they took folate daily. Those given folate had a significantly improved recovery, and the longer they supplemented this nutrient, the better they felt.

There is one important caution here. Many B-group supplements are based on the synthetic form of folic acid. Some people are unable to convert this synthetic form into the bioavailable form, and this can cause problems. In fact, unmetabolised folic acid can accumulate in the blood, interfering with folate-binding proteins and masking vitamin B12 deficiency, which can damage nerves.

There’s also emerging evidence that excess, unmetabolised folic acid may disturb immune function, reduce natural killer cell activity, and possibly increase risk of some cancers, when consumed in large, isolated doses long-term.

The critical message here is to always seek out methyl folate when choosing a folic acid supplement.

 Vitamin B12 also has a major role in brain function. One study showed that supplementation of Vitamin B12, at 1000 mcgs per day, can delay the onset of dementia, and another identified marked cognitive changes in adolescents deficient in B12. The green Revolution wheat, which we all consume, is marked by a serious inability to uptake cobalt. This is one of the reasons for such widespread B12 deficiency. Cobalt is the building block for B12 in our bodies. Vegetarianism and veganism are other factors in B12 deficiency, as there is no good plant-based source of B12

Vitamin B6 is often referred to as “the stress vitamin”, as it is depleted with stress and anxiety. Stress is endemic in this strange world we have created,  and it is a good strategy to counter that stress by replacing what is lost through collateral damage. In that context, most of us should be supplementing B6 and magnesium. Over 79% of us are deficient in magnesium. The National Institute of Health recently listed magnesium deficiency as a primary root cause of depression. Epsom salt baths with 2 cups of magnesium sulphate or an application of MagSorb™ are a great option because oral supplementation becomes increasingly less effective, as a side effect of prolonged (chronic) magnesium deficiency.

Returning to the three methyl donors for a moment. Several researchers claim that homocysteine levels  may be the best guideline for depression susceptibility. I strongly suggest that you have your homocysteine levels checked the next time you have a blood test. You need to be below 7 micromoles per litre and you may well be one of the 50% plus whom exceed those levels.

Remember that the best Black Dog protection, to counter high homocysteine, is 1000 mcgs of B12 (preferably sublingual), 1000 mcgs of folic acid (methyl folate) and 100 mg of B6 per day. This wellness recipe should also involve a B complex supplement, as the B vitamins work in concert and perform much better in the presence of their peers.

Well, my friends, that brings to an end Part 1 of this offering. If you are feeling down, I implore you to try some of these ideas. Depression is not bad luck! There is often a reason for your despair, and it can be much more productive to identify and address that root cause, rather than just treating symptoms.

In Part 2 of this article, we will look more closely at the potential of the amino acid tryptophan to alleviate mental anguish. We will also consider other key aminos that can prove helpful.

Until then, I wish you a happy, healthy, productive spring.

MagSorb™

MagSorb™ is a liquid concentration of magnesium chloride, derived from ancient seabed deposits. It has a naturally oily texture and is commonly called 'magnesium oil' (although it is not technically an oil). The skin has massive unrecognised absorption potential. 

"Popping magnesium pills has been the most popular strategy to replenish our magnesium reserves, but there are several problems with this approach. A variety of factors compromise the uptake of Mg during oral supplementation including phytic acid, prescription drugs and malabsorption. In addition to this, people with low magnesium (most of us) have reduced capacity to absorb magnesium."

Green Defence™

Green Defence™ features the energy-building power of pre-digested super greens, including spirulina and cereal grasses, combined with the exciting phytonutrients derived from pre-digested vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, cabbage, corn, beets and ginger. The multicoloured pigments from these vegetables have been shown to deliver many nutritional benefits.

"Protective pigments like lutein, lycopene, beta-carotene and anthocyanin have become catchwords for phytonutrient research in nutritional science. The growing understanding of these 'defence foods' heralds the dawn of a new era of science-based nutrition."

 To order or learn more, call NTS on (07) 5472 9900 or email sales@nutri-tech.com.au.

Certificate in Nutrition Farming

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