The scientific research on how the physiological effects of dietary sugar and refined carbs contribute to depression and greatly influence whether a person can recover successfully over the long term without dependence on medications.
You’ve no doubt seen the television ads warning “this is your brain on drugs”. These public service announcements are designed to be visually shocking thereby discouraging youth drug abuse by comparing the brain to an egg and a fried egg in a pan to a brain on drugs.
The same can be said about the effects of sugar on the brain. In the case of sugar, however, the effects are marked by a high risk of long term mental illness like depression rather than a brief yet dangerous, drug-induced high.
Depression is at epidemic proportions in our modern society. Even children are not immune! Some experts estimate that 1 in every 8 teenagers is clinically depressed.
What’s more, major depression is on track to become the #2 disability in the United States. This is roughly 1/4 of the population who will suffer its devastating impact sometime during their lives.
Are Antidepressant Drugs the Answer?
When the sobering diagnosis of depression is given, the typical remedy given by doctors is a script for antidepressant drugs.
According to Nora Gedgaudas, author of Primal Body Primal Mind, antidepressant drugs only have about a 13% effectiveness rate, just slightly better than a placebo.
Moreover, for the small minority of people for whom antidepressants actually help, 30-40% of them will not find antidepressant drugs effective over the long term.
Bottom line? If you are depressed, don’t look to drugs as the long term solution especially if you want to maintain a normal sex life. Antidepressants are well known to significantly dampen or even completely eliminate libido!
Instead of drugs, look to your diet as the best long term solution to depression.
Are You A Carbovore?
Diet has a tremendous impact on the development of depression and whether or not the sufferer successfully recovers long term. For some unknown reason, however, this basic truth is consistently ignored by most conventional medical authorities other than the possible suggestion of a doctor’s office recommended supplement of industrialized fish oil capsules!
Imbalanced, unstable, surging blood sugar is a common source of depression as well as simple irritability and violent tendencies according to Ms. Gedguadas, a board-certified Nutritional Therapist and Clinical Neurofeedback Specialist.
Doubt that blood sugar plays a huge role in brain health?
Consider that Alzheimer’s patients are notorious for having a voracious sweet tooth. Eating sweets on a frequent basis with the accompanying blood sugar surges depletes magnesium in the body at a rapid rate. This physiological state leaves the brain vulnerable to the ravages of aluminum.
A high aluminum level in the brain is, of course, a hallmark symptom of Alzheimer’s Disease.
How Sugar Destabilizes the Brain
Blood sugar surges actually destabilize the brain via the deadly process of glycation.
In layman’s terms, glycation is the chemical process in the body whereby glucose, proteins, and certain fats become tangled together making all manner of body tissue stiff and inflexible – including the brain.
Glycation is a big free radical problem in the body causing rapid aging. In neurological terms, glycation has the very real potential of actually shrinking brain tissue.
Absolutely nothing is more destabilizing to the brain than surging blood sugar which results in rampant glycation in the body.
Case in point: Have you ever noticed how your temper gets really short after that mid-afternoon candy bar? Similarly, this is why kids get so moody and disruptive when a teacher ironically and misguidedly gives them candy as a reward for good attention.
Ms. Gedgaudas maintains that blood sugar issues are the #1 influencing factor in mental health with depression being one of the most prominent.
Avoiding the devastating effects of glycation upon the brain which can over the long haul, cause mental illness like depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders requires stable, steady blood sugar as much as possible.
Whole Dietary Fats Stabilize Blood Sugar
Surging blood sugar levels caused by overconsumption of grain-based foods, processed sugars, and even alcohol in the diet is the most destabilizing force the brain can experience. In fact, sugar can cause liver cirrhosis just the same as booze.
Conversely, natural dietary fats are the most stabilizing neurological force giving way to clear thinking and stable emotions.
The best dietary fats for blood sugar control are those consumed liberally by Traditional Societies which experienced vibrant health and suffered little to no mental illness or degenerative disease. These are the very same fats that are typically shunned by most people in favor of factory fats like margarine which are not favorable to brain function and should be avoided.
Traditional fats must be consumed liberally in the diet to achieve mental stability, however.
Lowfat Diets = Neurological Instability
Think about the makeup of the brain if this point is concerning to you in any way. Consider that 60-80% of the brain is fat, a full 50% of which is saturated fat!
11% of the brain is arachidonic acid. This nutrient is best found in egg yolks. 25% of the brain is DHA an omega-3 fat best found in oily fish. Flax oil is a poor substitute as it converts very inefficiently to true DHA.
How much of the brain under healthy, normal circumstances is actually composed of highly processed, polyunsaturated fats which are the primary fat in the Western diet?
How about none!
If you want to adopt the wise and time tested strategy of eating properly for your brain’s sake, then you must eat the type of fats that actually comprise the make-up of the brain. Doesn’t this just make sense?
These brain-building fats include:
- Butter
- Cream
- Store-bought or homemade ghee
- Coconut Oil
- High vitamin cod liver oil
- Tallow/Suet/Lard
- Egg Yolks
Interesting that these are the very same fats demonized by politically correct nutrition, don’t you think?
These nourishing, traditional fats are the ones to seek and consume liberally if you wish to put depression behind you for good.
For more details on the healthiest fats to consume and the ones you absolutely can’t do without if you want peak mental fitness, please see this article about five healthy fats to have in your kitchen.
By slaying the sugar monster, you can save your brain too .. and possibly even your life!
References
Primal Body Primal Mind by Nora Gedgaudas
2010 Wise Traditions Conference, seminar by Nora Gedgaudas
More Information
Natural Remedies for Panic Attacks
Fix Childhood Anxiety with Simple Dietary Changes
What about using coconut sugar? I’d like to switch to this in my 1 morning cup of coffee, just to cut out a little more sugar I consume.
I agree about it not being the only factor in depression–but for what I’m suffering with, my diet has played a ‘key’ role in how I have so many issues–add to that antibiotics use, being a slow detoxer, many situations/outside factors–but the biggest??–MERCURY poisoning from my silver fillings!!!, which now to try and fix the issue, I need to wean off all sugars and grains…..it’s amazing how many toxins they are bombarding us with throwing off our health!
Thank you for spreading the word! Sugar is definitely one if the pieces of the puzzle for me and for many many others. To solve the whole puzzle, you need all the pieces!
great info!
The husband and I have been off sugar and fluten four days and our mental clarity was the first thing we noticed.
Heavens. That is some picture you got there. Though she may look like the poster child for sugar and depression, I don’t think sugar is her only problem. Poor lady probably doesn’t even know her picture is circulating on the internet.
@Kim Needy… I don’t think she was trying to state that sugar is the reason for depression. You are looking at it the wrong way. What she is saying is that it can and will aid in major malfunction in the brain. It would make no sense for the “Healthy Home Economist” to write about psychology, life experiences, etc… now wouldn’t it? Plus articles should not be vague and all over the place. Would be to long and you lose people’s interest that way – that is what reports are for….. Articles are meant to be to the point about one main topice only and the main topic here is how sugar is linked to depression not depression.
Right, exactly. Like how lack of fats can affect the brain as well.
I think we can safely postulate that a healthy brain would react better to difficult situations. Perspective and the ability to cope would probably be better.
Ok, let me try to remove part of my foot, if it’s not too late. Having dealt with severe depression with psychotic episodes since forever. Properly diagnosised in 2001. Ton of meds, ton of therapy, tons of research and yes, lifestyle changes including exercise, diet and removing sugar-I personally don’t see how articles can be so “simply” defined. I am just afraid the wrong person can get ahold of this article and think “Thank God- This is my answer!!!” when in reality there is not a one factor “cure” for depression. I truly believe it is a life long process for depression that lasts “longer than normal” depression. I do believe in this article for people who understands that “depression” isn’t a blanket diagnosis!
It’s interesting how differently it affects us…I eat very little sugar and am gluten-free…but I’ve been depressed most of my life, sometimes worse than others. My husband is a sugarholic and that is the perfect word for it…he’s addicted and when he doesn’t have sugar he’s a bear. He shows classic signs of withdrawl when he hasn’t had sugar…he’s tired and VERY cranky. He just had an appointment with a naturopath and she told him is he wants to get rid of some issues he’s been having, he has to get off sugar…and I’m glad to say he went cold turkey that day and has done pretty stinkin’ well! 🙂