Mental Health - PsyBlog

The Type Of Meat That Contributes To Manic Episodes

Manic episodes can lead to dangerous risk-taking and delusional thinking — it frequently requires hospitalisation.

Eating processed meats like beef jerky and salami is linked to manic episodes.

Manic episodes are a symptom of bipolar disorder and involve becoming euphoric, restless, experiencing a reduced need for sleep and having a racing mind.

Manic episodes can lead to dangerous risk-taking and delusional thinking — it frequently requires hospitalisation.

People who ate nitrate-cured meats were 3.5 times more likely to be hospitalised for mania as those who had not eaten the food, the researchers found.

Professor Robert Yolken, study co-author, said:

“We looked at a number of different dietary exposures and cured meat really stood out.
It wasn’t just that people with mania have an abnormal diet.”

The results come from 1,101 people with and without psychiatric disorders.

It wasn’t clear from this study how much cured meat was linked to mania.

However, the researchers also carried out a lab study on rats.

Some they fed store-bought beef-jerky and these started to show signs of mania within two weeks of eating the meat.

Professor Yolken said:

“We tried to make sure the amount of nitrate used in the experiment was in the range of what people might reasonably be eating.”

The scientists also tried feeding the rats nitrate-free meat — these did not show symptoms of mania, suggesting it was the nitrate causing the problem.

While small amounts of cured meats are unlikely to set off manic episodes in humans, further research is required.

Ms Seva Khambadkone, the study’s first author, said:

“It’s clear that mania is a complex neuropsychiatric state, and that both genetic vulnerabilities and environmental factors are likely involved in the emergence and severity of bipolar disorder and associated manic episodes.
Our results suggest that nitrated cured meat could be one environmental player in mediating mania.”

The researchers think that bacteria in the gut mediate the link between nitrates and mania.

Professor Yolken said:

“There’s growing evidence that germs in the intestines can influence the brain.
And this work on nitrates opens the door for future studies on how that may be happening.”

The study was published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry (Khambadkone et al., 2018).

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Mental Illness Is 66% More Common In People With These Allergic Conditions

Could these allergies be affecting your mental health more than you think?

People who have asthma, hay fever and eczema are at an increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders.

The Taiwanese study of 46,647 people with allergic diseases and 139,941 without allergies, found a 66 percent higher risk in those with conditions known as the three ‘A’s.

These are asthma, allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and atopic dermatitis (eczema).

Scientists have speculated that the link could be down to inflammation.

Inflammation is a critical component of allergies and is also linked to psychiatric disorders like depression and anxiety.

Some studies have even suggested that asthma medications can lower the risk of psychiatric disorders.

It could also be that conditions like depression and anxiety set off allergic diseases.

Dr Nian-Sheng Tzeng, the study’s lead author, said:

“As a clinician, I observed that some patients with the three ‘A’s appeared to suffer emotionally.
Therefore, I wanted to clarify whether these allergic diseases are associated with psychiatric disorders.”

The study — which covered a 15-year period — found the rate at which people without allergies developed mental health problems was 6.7 percent.

Among those with allergies, though, 10.8 percent developed a psychiatric disorder.

Dr Tzeng said:

“We would like to let clinicians who care for patients with allergic diseases know that their risk for psychiatric diseases may be higher.
Assessing their emotional condition and monitoring their mental health could help to avoid later psychiatric problems.”

The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry (Tzeng et al., 2018).

A Common Mineral Deficiency Linked To Mental Health Issues

One-quarter of the world’s population has this mineral deficiency that is linked to anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.

An iron deficiency is the most common nutrient deficiency and it can impact mental health, research finds.

Low iron levels can exacerbate symptoms of anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.

Many people with depression, for example, have a history of anaemia.

Higher rates of anxiety disorders, sleep disorders and psychotic disorders are linked to an iron deficiency.

It has been linked to mental health problems in both young and old.

An iron deficiency is frequently linked to symptoms of fatigue — which often combines with depression.

Dr Stephanie Weinberg Levin, the study’s first author, said:

“We don’t always go looking for nutrient deficiencies, but they can really take a large toll on well-being.
Iron is the most common nutrient deficiency and can have a big impact.
You can be iron-deficient without having anemia, but many mental health care providers aren’t aware that iron deficiency by itself has been linked to worse symptoms, or that supplementation has been linked to improved symptoms.
But there is evidence there.”

Mild iron deficiency

The researchers examined multiple studies on the connection between iron deficiency and mental health.

Many have found that iron supplementation appear to improve the symptoms of those with and without mental health diagnoses.

Supplementation can even help with relatively mild iron deficiency.

The usual benchmark for iron deficiency is 30 ng/mol.

However, one study found that supplementation for those with levels below 100 ng/mol was beneficial for negative mood and fatigue (Mikami et al., 2022).

Which type of supplement?

Iron deficiency should be treated by supplementation, since the typical diet cannot provide enough, the study’s authors write.

Most types of iron supplementation will work, however, the disadvantages of supplementation are that 70 percent of people experience side-effects.

These can include a metallic taste in the mouth, vomiting, nausea and constipation/diarrhoea.

So, the key is to find the type that has the lowest side-effects.

Ferrous sulfate is the cheapest, but other forms, such as ferrous iron protein succinylate and ferrous bisglycinate may have fewer gastrointestinal side-effects (but they are more expensive).

How much iron?

As for the amount, there is no clear guidance, but the study’s authors suggest:

“The maximum amount of oral iron that can be absorbed is approximately 25 mg/d of elemental iron.
A 325 mg ferrous sulfate tablet contains 65 mg of elemental iron, of which approximately 25 mg is absorbed and utilized.”

Supplements should be taken for 6 to 8 weeks and it may take 6 months for the body’s iron stores to be replenished.

Dr Levin concluded:

“Iron supplements are inexpensive and can really make a significant impact in someone’s mental health if they’re deficient.”

Note that a physician should be consulted: people with inflammatory bowel conditions, chronic kidney disease or the pregnant should not take iron supplements orally.

The study was published in the journal Current Psychiatry (Levin & Gattari, 2023).

The Personality Trait That Is A Sign Of Poor Mental Health

This personality trait is linked to mental health problems.

Being impulsive can be a sign of poor mental health.

People who are impulsive tend to prefer a small immediate reward over a larger reward later on.

Impulsive people tend to act on their immediate thoughts and emotions without thinking about the consequences.

In other words, impulsive people want to have fun now, not later — even if waiting is more sensible.

People who are depressed, have bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or some eating disorders are more likely to be impulsive.

Psychologists can measure this type of impulsivity with a test of ‘delay discounting’.

Delay discounting is the idea that people tend to discount a reward more, the longer the delay until they receive it.

So, psychologically, $5 right now is worth more than $10 in three weeks time.

Or, as the proverb has it: a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

People who can delay their gratification find it easier to wait for their rewards.

However, people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder find it particularly hard to delay gratification.

The conclusions come from a review of 43 separate studies.

Dr Michael Amlung, the study’s first author, said:

“The revelation that delay discounting is one of these ‘trans-diagnostic’ processes will have a significant effect on the future of psychiatric diagnosis and treatment.”

Among people with mental health problems, though, anorexia was the exception.

People with anorexia tend to make excessively self-controlling decisions.

This makes sense given that anorexia is a disorder characterised by a very high level of self-control over eating behaviours.

Professor Randi McCabe, study co-author, said:

“Examining factors that cut across psychiatric disorders, such as delay discounting, helps to illuminate commonalities and distinguishing characteristics amongst disorders that then guide further research on treatment and prevention.”

The study was published in JAMA Psychiatry (Amlung et al., 2019).

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Coffee Has A Surprising Effect On Mental Health

How coffee consumption is linked to both mental and physical health.

Moderate coffee consumption is linked to reduced depression risk and lower levels of Parkinson’s and dementia.

Not only that, but the review of more than 200 studies found that drinking 3 to 4 cups of coffee a day is linked to many other benefits.

These include lower levels of heart disease, reduced risk of some cancers, diabetes and liver disease.

The study’s authors write:

“Coffee consumption was consistently associated with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease, even after adjustment for smoking, and across all categories of exposure.
Decaffeinated coffee was associated with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease, which did not reach significance.
Consumption had a consistent association with lower risk of depression and cognitive disorders, especially for Alzheimer’s disease.”

Coffee was also associated with a lower risk of several cancers:

prostate cancer,
endometrial cancer,
skin cancer,
and liver cancer,

Risk of type 2 diabetes, gallstones and gout was lower in those drinking coffee as well.

Coffee’s apparent effect was particularly strong for liver conditions, such as cirrhosis.

The evidence for drinking decaffeinated coffee was not as strong.

So, if you don’t drink coffee already, should you start?

Writing in a linked commentary, Professor Eliseo Guallar, an expert in public health, gives the answer:

“Should doctors recommend drinking coffee to prevent disease?
Should people start drinking coffee for health reasons?
The answer to both questions is “no.” “

But if you do already drink coffee, then how much should you drink?

Professor Guallar explained:

“…the lowest risk of disease is associated with drinking three to five cups of coffee a day.
Higher intake may reduce or reverse the potential benefit, and there is substantial uncertainty, both in individual studies and in meta-analyses, about the effects of higher levels of intake.
Conclusions on the safety of coffee should thus be restricted to moderate intake, generally considered as ≤400 mg of caffeine a day (about four or five coffee drinks).”

The research was an ‘umbrella review’ which is a kind of review of the reviews.

It aggregates data from lots of different studies including many participants.

However, the way the studies were designed, it cannot tell us that drinking coffee causes these health benefits.

It just tells us there is a link to be explained.

The study was published in The British Medical Journal (Poole et al., 2017).

The Best Exercise For Boosting Mental Health

Largest study of its kind reveals the best exercise for improving mental health — and how long to do it for.

Team sports have the strongest link to improved mental health, followed by cycling and aerobic and gym exercise.

The largest benefits to mental health were seen in those doing around 45 minutes exercise between three to five times a week, research finds.

However, all types of exercise were linked to better mental health, including doing household chores, lawn-mowing and fishing.

Overall, people who exercised had 18 fewer days of poor mental health per year compared with people doing no exercise.

People who had been depressed in the past felt the greatest benefit from exercise.

The results come from 1.2 million people in the US who reported their activity levels for a month.

They were asked to estimate how many days they thought their mental health was ‘not good’ based on depression, stress or emotional problems.

Most people benefitted from exercise, however, doing too much exercise was linked to worse mental health.

Those who did over 90 minutes a day saw only small improvements in mental health.

Those who did more than 3 hours exercise per day reported worse mental health than those who did none at all.

Dr. Adam Chekroud, who led the study, said:

“Previously, people have believed that the more exercise you do, the better your mental health, but our study suggests that this is not the case.
Doing exercise more than 23 times a month, or exercising for longer than 90 minute sessions is associated with worse mental health.
Our finding that team sports are associated with the lowest mental health burden may indicate that social activities promote resilience and reduce depression by reducing social withdrawal and isolation, giving social sports an edge over other kinds.”

The study also showed that exercise had much bigger benefits to mental health than factors like earning more money or being better educated.

Dr Chekroud continued:

“Exercise is associated with a lower mental health burden across people no matter their age, race, gender, household income and education level.
Excitingly, the specifics of the regime, like the type, duration, and frequency, played an important role in this association.
We are now using this to try and personalise exercise recommendations, and match people with a specific exercise regime that helps improve their mental health.”

The study was published in the journal The Lancet Psychiatry (Chekroud et al., 2018).