2024-03-26 10:36:10
If you ever go to the psychiatrist’s office, he or she may suggest a change in your daily diet. We are used to receiving dietary advice from our primary care doctor, cardiologist, or endocrinologist. However, in recent years scientific studies have been clear: a healthy diet, similar to traditional ones, Not only is it associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular diseasesbut also many other organs.
The most interesting thing is that all medical specialists agree on what healthy foods are. That is, what is good for the heart is usually also good for the kidneys, the brain or any other organ. However, the latest studies also indicate that What we eat has a fundamental weight in the functioning of our own mind. In fact, the quality of the diet has been associated in recent years with a higher or lower risk of suffering from depression.
“Studies have compared traditional diets, such as the Mediterranean or traditional Japanese, with the typical Western diet and have shown that the risk of depression is 25% to 35% lower in those who eat a traditional diet“explains Harvard University in his web page. Unfortunately, although the Mediterranean diet has been the dietary pattern in Spain for centuries, in recent decades the dangerous Western diet has become more common.
Too many sugars
Although we think that serrano ham or sausage are key pieces in the Spanish diet, in reality, the Mediterranean diet is fundamentally plant-based. Legumes, fruit and vegetables are much more important in this traditional diet and are foods that provide protection to the organs and mind. The excess of red and processed meat – where, unfortunately, our ham and sausages are found – is a hallmark of the Western diet, in addition to the abuse of processed foods.
“Diets high in refined sugars, for example, are harmful to the brain,” explains Harvard. “In addition to worsening your body’s insulin regulation, they promote inflammation and oxidative stress. Multiple studies have found a correlation between diets with a high intake of refined sugars and cognitive impairment and even worsening symptoms of mood disorders, such as depression.
[Doctor Guarner, el médico que explica cómo hemos destrozado la microbiota en los últimos 150 años]
But how can food affect our mood? According to Harvard, without the micronutrients in plant foods that fight free radicals and inflammation, we can expect injuries to brain tissue and, of course, cognitive consequences. In any case, in recent years several scientific studies have suggested that the intestinal microbiota is closely related to the possible development of depression. That is, what happens in the intestine can have a lot to do with it.
Take care of the intestine
The scientific magazine Nature Last year he published two scientific studies in which he reported the discovery of up to 13 microbial taxa that were associated with depression. Those specific gut bacteria are responsible for the synthesis of key chemical messengers for depression, such as glutamate, butyrate, serotonin and gamma amino butyric acid (GABA). The authors of the study explained that a balanced diet could represent a complement to the treatment of depression, according to this article in EL ESPAÑOL.
For this reason, psychiatrists try to avoid processed meats at all costs, a group of foods that includes our precious Serrano ham, but also other products such as sausages. Processed meats have proven to be bad for our intestines and, in fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared them to be carcinogenic to humans. The study that gave rise to this classification stated that “Each 50-gram serving of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%”as explained in this article from EL ESPAÑOL.
1711451697
#typical #food #Spain #psychiatrists #eat #avoid #depression