Natural Foods to Combat Depression During the Holiday Season

While the holiday season is jovial and celebratory for the majority of Americans, it can also be a source of despondency and despair for others. This is especially true for those afflicted with seasonal affective disorder or have great fear and anxiety leading to self-imposed travel restrictions in the midst of the COVID pandemic.

Fortunately, as of this writing, the most recent evidence suggests that if you’ve been vaccinated and “boosted”, the latter should be less of an overriding concern.

Nevertheless, as compared to the pre-COVID pandemic era, levels of depression and anxiety have also risen to unforseen heights.  With the Holiday Season upon us, presented below is a heart healthy selection of foods/drinks proven to enhance mood and combat/limit depression and make your holiday season a more enjoyable one.

1. Mushrooms: A new study of nearly 25,000 men and women found that compared to non-consumers, those who ate mushrooms on a regular basis were less likely to experience signs of depression.  Mushrooms are an excellent source of ergothioneine (ERGO), an amino acid with antioxidant properties shown (in rodent studies) to alleviate symptoms of depression.  Other good food sources of ERGO are beans (black, kidney) and oat bran.
2. Cranberries:  Cranberries are also rich in antioxidants and in the brain protective and anti-inflammatory compound ursolic acid.  Ursolic acid not only reduces growth of certain tumors but has also been shown to improve memory and reduce mood disorders, especially anxiety and depression. Try a handful of cranberries or 4 ounces of pure cranberry juice each day to reap the benefits.
3. Prebiotics: Non-digestible carbohydrate foods (prebiotics) such as garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, leeks and onions, promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria to reduce neuroinflammation and improve symptoms of anxiety and depression.
4. Dark chocolate: A study of ~13,600 adults found that compared to non-consumers, daily consumption of dark chocolate (3.5 ounces) was associated with ~60% lower risk of depression.
5. Coffee: Compared to minimal or no consumption, coffee drinkers have a 25% lower risk of depression. The most favorable results were observed with an average amount of 13.5 ounces consumed daily.
6. Mediterranean Style Diet: A Mediterranean style diet (vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, whole grains, fish) is associated with improved mental health in men and women with depression.
7. Kiwi: A recent study found that consuming a kiwifruit daily was associated with improved mood and overall well-being that was attributable to more than the high Vitamin C content.
8. Bivalves: Mussels, oysters, clams and scallops are good/excellent sources of selenium associated with reduced depression and improved mood.
9. Bananas: Bananas are an excellent source of Vitamin B6 with anti-anxiety, antidepressant properties. A banana a day may keep the psychiatrist away!
10. Pumpkin Seeds: Try a small handful of pumpkin seeds daily. The rich content of tryptophan, zinc and magnesium may reduce anxiety and combat depression.

Dr. Michael Miller is Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.  Check him out on twitter: @mmillermd1

Does Statin Use Reduce Psychiatric Hospitalizations and Emergency Room Visits?

 

A new paper out this week led by my colleague, Dr. Teo Postolache raises the intriguing question as to whether patients prescribed statins have lower rates of psychiatric based hospital admissions as compared to non-statin users.  The rationale for this study was based on prior work suggesting that statins not only slow cognitive decline and reduce the risk dementia but also decrease hospitalization rates as much as 25% in men and women with a history of major depression.  Additional support for statin use includes inherent beneficial effects on oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and immune function, all of which that are commonly aggravated in psychiatric illnesses.

In the current study of ~680,000 Veterans with a history of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder studied, statin use was associated with a 15-30% lower likelihood of psychiatrically based hospitalization and emergency room visits.  While this study cannot prove cause-effect (that is, statin use being directly implicated in lowering hospitalization rates) it does support further investigation testing various statins -including those that dissolve in fat (lipophilic) or do not (hydrophilic) – and monitoring hospitalization rates between randomization of assigned statin and the prespecified follow-up period.

Listed below are additional considerations related to psychiatric illness and cardiovascular disease.

1. Adults with major depressive illness experience a 15-25% increased risk of heart attacks, cardiovascular death and all-cause mortality compared to those without depression.
2. Optimism is associated with a 35% lower risk of future heart attack, stroke or death from heart disease.
3. Serious mental illness (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression) is associated with a 78% increased risk of future cardiovascular events (heart attack/stroke) than those without mental illness.
4. Serious mental illness is also associated with a 2-fold increased risk of cardiovascular death. A comprehensive risk reduction program (IDEAL trial) is underway to assess whether innovative interventions can reduce risk.
5. A Japanese study found that rarely or never laughing was associated with a 20% higher risk of heart disease and 60% higher risk of stroke compared to those who laughed daily.
6. A new study finds robust evidence that statins are unlikely to lead to depressive symptoms in the general population.
7. A recent analysis of more than 500,000 men and women found no association between statin use and ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
8. Statins have no significant adverse effect on sleep duration and efficiency.  In fact, statins significantly reduce wake time and number of awakenings.
9. Statin treatment is not related to cataract development or progression.
10. There is no good evidence to suggest that statins increase the risk of tendonitis or tendon rupture.
11. There is no need to avoid statin therapy in patients with stable chronic liver disease and normal or modestly elevated transaminases (up to 3 times the ULN).
12. At the present time, however, there is no conclusive evidence for a causal relationship between statin treatment and peripheral neuropathy.

 

Dr. Michael Miller is Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.  Check him out on twitter: @mmillermd1