By now you are probably wondering, how can depression, anxiety, diabetes, heart disease all be related. American consume fast and processed foods that increase obesity and contain high levels of fat, saturated fat, sugar, salt, and processed carbohydrate. That diet increases cardiovascular and related diseases like diabetes. These foods are high in calories and deficient in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They represent on average 30% of our dietary intake. They are also a risk factor for anxiety and depression. Eating whole, real food reduces the risk.
The reasons diet, cardiovascular disease, anxiety, and depression are linked is even more fascinating to me. These conditions share the same biology and risk factors. Diet regulates key biological processes that “underscore mood disorders, including brain plasticity and function, the stress response system, mitochondria, inflammation, and oxidative processes.”. Processed and fast foods are associated with increased markers of systemic inflammation. Cardiovascular disease and related conditions like diabetes are related to increased oxidant production and inflammation. More evidence that inflammation causes depression is suggested by recent data showing that higher levels of markers of inflammation are independent risk factors for a depressive episode. People who are depressed have increased inflammation, an activated stress response system, and increased oxidant production. On the other hand, whole foods and the Mediterranean diet wholefood diet provide protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and micronutrients that are antioxidants and anti-inflammatory which reduce depression.
The medications that we use for cardiometabolic disease are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. It is all tied together.
I agree on the importance of food. I also know there is evidence for the role of stress, and the importance of major stress reduction. I like the approach of people like Lilian Sjoberg, as it goes for very deep stress reduction - layer below layer of stress.