Tip 1
Take omega-3. The principal omega-3 fatty acids are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). They may enhance brain activity and alleviate depression. A Finnish study of several thouzand adults found that depressive symptoms were significantly higher among people who don’t eat fish or take omega-3 supplements.
Tip 2
Look for omega-3 ingredient in the groceries. Now you can find them in foods as varied as margarines, eggs from hens fed on flaxseed, even in and tortilla chips.
Tip 3
Hypericum (St. John’s Wort) is a common perennial plant with yellow flowers growing in the meadows and along the roads. It contains many chemical compounds. The active ingredients include hypericin and hyperforin.
St. John's Wort likely lifts mood by boosting serotonin levels, a brain chemical that is a big part of emotion control. Serotonin is "messenger" that affects sleep, appetite, and mood. Low levels of it may result in depression, food cravings and low quality sleep.
Clinical trials found that St. John's Wort controls moderate depression as well as antidepressants do, and with practically no side effects.
In Germany herbal medicines are government-regulated and almost 30 million prescriptions for St. John's Wort are written annually instead of pharmaceutical grade antidepressants.
Tip 4
Recent studies suggest that St. John's wort is of no benefit in treating major depression. Don’t try to substitute your prescription antidepressants before you discuss it with your doctor.
Food/Nutrition and Mood Support
Tip 5
Any restrictive diet can cause depression sometime called diet blues. For people on a low fat diet a quick fix can be a carbohydrate-containing snack – a fruit or a hard candy.
For people on the initial stages of low carbohydrate diets a quick fix is completely different. Turkey and chicken contain a good source of mood-enhancer tryptophan, an amino acid which is a raw material for serotonin - which can be low in people suffering from depression. Poorly eating and sleep habits can negatively influence otherwise normal serotonin levels.
Tip 6
A low-fat diet may be good for your body, but not necessarily for your mind. In a study at Wake Forest University, researchers found that monkeys on a low-fat diet were more hostile than monkeys that were fed foods high in fat. It is though that lower cholesterol decreases levels of serotonin and weakens emotional control.
Low fat diets can make you depressed. Research has linked diets that drastically cut down on all types of fat with an increase in symptoms of depression.
Tip 7
There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that after about one week on a low carbohydrate diet, mood and energy levels go through the roof. Researchers speculate that this can be explained by interplay of brain chemicals after the brain stops running on glucose and switches on ketons for fuel.
The brain is the organ most sensitive to a change in blood glucose level – too little produces fatigue, confusion, irritability and aggression. Decreased glucose sensitivity often develops due to excessive consumption of refined sugar and simple carbohydrates, like in white flour. When the brain adapts to the use of ketones instead glucose, these symptoms disappears.
Study conducted by University of Sheffield, demonstrated that meals rich in fat, significantly reduced pain perception in healthy human subjects.( Physiology & Behavior. 65(4-5):643-8, 1999)
Anti-depressant supplements
Tip 8
Deficiency of vitamin B12 can create disturbances in mood and B12 supplementation helps to normalize the mood. Vitamin B6, vitamin C, Folic Acid (Folate) and Zinc are all essential good mood nutrients. They are needed to make the feel-good brain chemical serotonin from the raw material - amino acid tryptophan. (New England Journal of Medicine 1988;318:1720–8.)
Tip 9
In a clinical trial of healthy young men, consumption of a high-selenium diet was associated with improved mood and decrease of anxiety.
Vitamin D supplementation may be associated with elevations in mood. In a double-blind controlled study, healthy people were given vitamin D3 supplements. Researchers found that D3 supplementation enhanced positive mood and there was some evidence of a reduction in negative mood.
Tip 10
The precursor of serotonin tryptophan is found in many foods, primarily turkey, chicken, fish, cottage cheese, bananas, eggs, nuts, wheat germ, avocados, milk, cheese and legumes and, in lesser amounts, breads, cereals, potatoes and rice. However, these foods also contain competing amino acids tyrosine, phenylalanine, valine, leucine and isoleucine. The solution? Take 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP).
5-HTP is extracted from the seed of the Griffonia simplicifolia plant. L-tryptophan has to be converted to (5-HTP) before it becomes serotonin in the body. In a clinical trial, supplemental 5-HTP had antidepressant effects in bipolar patients. (Acta Psychiatr Scand Suppl 1981;290:191–201.)
Tip 11
Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Reduce the Risk of Depression in Pregnancy. Using British data compiled from pregnant women, the researchers analyzed the association between omega-3 fatty acids and depression. Their findings were supported by an additional analysis, which showed that in countries where omega-3 intake is the highest, the incidence of depression appears to be the lowest. (The Lancet Aug. 1998)
Combining mood-enhancing supplements
Tip 12
S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) is a supplement naturally formed in the body by an enzymatic reaction. SAMe has been proposed as a treatment major depression (10) and as an agent for improving mood and emotional well-being. SAMe works closely with folic acid and vitamin B-12. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 76, No. 5, 1158S-1161S, November 2002)
Tip 13
Combined vitamin D and calcium supplementation produced significant elevations in mood. (Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine 1994;9:199–204.)
Tip 14
Studies suggest that vitamin B9 (folate) may be associated with depression more than any other nutrient. Between 15% and 38% of people with depression have low folate levels in their bodies and those with very low levels tend to be the most depressed .
Many healthcare providers recommend a multivitamin that contains folate. If the multivitamin alone is not enough to improve folate function, the provider may suggest adding vitamins B6 and B12 to improve feelings of depression.
Tip 15
The vitamin B12 increases the probability of recovery from major depression and is though to do its best when taken together with other B-vitamins.
The B-complex include: biotin, choline, folic acid, inositol, PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid), and the six "numbered" B vitamins--vitamin B-1 (thiamin), B-2 (riboflavin), B-3 (niacin), B-5 (pantothenic acid), B-6 (pyridoxine), and B-12 (cobalamin). Combination products can simplify the process of taking individual B vitamins for a range of ailments including depression and stress.
