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Can these 4 nutrients help us avoid and treat mental illness?
Kate Spade. Anthony Bourdain.
Two successful people, in the prime of their lives with seemingly everything to live for, took their own lives this week.
And we are all asking the one question we always do when hear the devastating news of death by suicide…
Why?
Of course, it can happen to anyone — family, friends, acquaintances and coworkers — not just celebrities. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t experienced this kind of loss.
But when it hits our newsfeeds, it sort of brings it front and center, again. It also brings something else to light. We don’t really understand the depth of mental illness that takes someone to a place so dark that suicide appears to be the only answer.
Maybe it’s because we’ve all experienced the blues at one time or another. But the “blues” are not what’s happening when someone commits suicide.
My colleague Jenny Smiechowski recently wrote about Julia Rucklidge, a clinical psychology professor and researcher from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand who’s trying to change the way people think about mental illness. She is bringing something very new to the table, and I’d like to share what Jenny has researched about her work…
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A different approach
In a presentation at a Tedx event, Julia shared some eye-opening research about how high doses of certain nutrients could help people heal from mental illness better than the prescription meds we use now.
The reality is that people who take antipsychotics, anti-anxiety medications and antidepressants often do worse in the long-term than people with the same mental illnesses who don’t take these medications…
Studies show that depression recovery and relapse rates are the same as they were 50 years ago… even though millions of people take antidepressants that weren’t available 50 years ago.
Julia believes nourishing the brain could be the answer to the mental illness epidemic.
This is an exciting prospect if you or a loved one has a mental illness. And the good news is, the research supporting Julia’s theory keeps piling up…
A recent review of the research on nutrition and psychosis showed that four nutrients could slash the scary symptoms of psychosis and help people with this serious mental disorder reclaim their sanity and their life.
Nutrients make an impact in psychosis
Psychosis is a mental disorder where you lose touch with reality. You see, hear or believe things that aren’t real.
Psychosis isn’t a mental illness itself, but it can be a symptom of several mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder.
Life’s not easy for people who deal with psychosis. They’re typically treated with anti-psychotic medications. But even then, this mental condition can interfere with their ability to work and lead a normal life.
Here’s the good news…
A review of the research led by Dr. Joseph Firth, honorary Research Fellow at The University of Manchester and Research Fellow at NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University found that nutrient therapy could help young people in the early stages of psychotic illnesses like schizophrenia.
The review looked at data from eight independent clinical trials that included 457 young adults with first-episode psychosis (FEP). First-episode psychosis is a clinical term used to describe a person’s first psychotic episode. Based on this data, researchers identified four nutrients that have the potential to improve the mental health of people with psychosis.
4 nutrients to fight mental illness
#1 Taurine. This amino acid found in foods like turkey and shellfish had the most dramatic impact on psychosis. One clinical trial found that taking four grams of taurine per day reduced psychosis symptoms in just 12 weeks.
#2 Vitamin C. As an antioxidant, vitamin C was most helpful for people with psychosis who also had high levels of oxidative stress (an overload of free radicals without enough antioxidants to detoxify them). Research has linked high levels of oxidative stress to an increased risk of several mental illnesses, including anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, so it seems like vitamin C could have a promising future in the mental health world.
#3 N-acetyl cysteine (NAC). N-acetyl cysteine is another antioxidant. So, like vitamin C, research shows that it’s most useful for people with psychosis who have high levels of oxidative stress. In previous studies, NAC has shown promising results in addiction, compulsive disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
#4 Omega-3. Based on this review, omega-3 can improve brain health in young adults with psychosis. But researchers say there’s conflicting evidence about whether it reduces psychotic symptoms. That said, some studies have shown it has a beneficial effect on depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
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Understanding nutrient therapy options
The researchers who led this review said that these nutrients could be a powerful addition to existing treatments for mental illness. But they’re clear on the fact that there needs to be a lot more research before they can say for sure that these nutrients work or before they completely understand dosage details.
Still, it’s more hope on the horizon for people who deal with serious mental illnesses that involve psychosis like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. The researchers who conducted this review plan to conduct a new clinical trial where they combine all the potentially beneficial nutrients into one supplement that they give to people with psychosis.
If you’re eager to use nutrition to improve your mental health now, find a health professional who can guide you. If you need help finding one, check out an organization called Integrative Medicine for Mental Health (IMMH). It offers resources and a list of integrative mental health practitioners who can safely provide guidance for better mental health.
The National Suicide Prevention Hotline number is 1-800-273-8255, and is available 24 hours everyday. Let’s get this information out there…
Sources:
- Antioxidants and amino acids could play role in the treatment of psychosis — MedicalXpress. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
- Firth, et al. “Adjunctive nutrients in first-episode psychosis: A systematic review of efficacy, tolerability and neurobiological mechanisms.” — Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 2018.
- Early Psychosis and Psychosis — National Alliance on Mental Illness. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
- Salim. “Oxidative Stress and Psychological Disorders.” — Current Neuropharmacology. Mar 2014; 12(2): 140–147.
- Dean, et al. “N-acetylcysteine in psychiatry: current therapeutic evidence and potential mechanisms of action.” — Journal of Psychiatry Neuroscience. Mar 2011; 36(2): 78–86.
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Mood Disorders — Today’s Dietitian. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
By Margaret Cantwell
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