Mood follows food: Medication Doesn’t Build Your Brain Cells, Your Food Does.
Did you know that there’s a complex network of over 100 million nerves and chemicals that send messages to your central nervous system (CNS) that impact your emotional and cognitive lives?
Those messengers are sent from your second brain-- your digestive system.
Almost 25% of Indiana adults have depression prevalence.
47% of Indiana HS students report depressive symptoms in the last year.
Researchers note that up to 95% of serotonin and 50% of dopamine have been linked to the endocrine-hormonal processes in the gut. This bidirectional communication and interconnection as the 2nd brain is crucial for practitioners to not only understand but have basic psychoeducation and interventions at their disposal.
Five experts in psychology, statistics, and clinical interpretation headed a 2008 meta-analysis of 47 FDA clinically and peer-reviewed trials for 6 of the most used SSRIs/antidepressants (fluoxetine, venlafaxine, nefazodone, paroxetine, sertraline, and citalopram) alongside a placebo. There were over 5,000 participants. The collective statement was as follows: "we find that the overall effect of these antidepressant medications is below recommended criteria for clinical significance. We also find that efficacy reaches clinical significance only in trials involving the most extremely depressed patients, and that this pattern is due to a decrease in the response to placebo rather than an increase in the response to medication." PLOS Medicine
While this is not the smoking gun regarding building brain cells, there are swaths of respectable studies that infer the need for understanding the building blocks of your body, ahem mood, before solely relying on medication to improve how you feel. This psychoeducational material is also not to discount the role in stabilizing factors of medications for millions of people. Do not mistake this series for medical advice; nor disregard guidance from your allopathic care team.
Let's do consider the contributions from what food we consume and the impact those decisions have on how, overall, you feel -- or even set the stage for addressing what's within your control for helpful building components within your mind-body system.
Harvard's "Your brain on food" publishings, along with many other notable research institutions, outline how neurotransmitter signaling happens from the beneficial gut bacteria. By promoting beneficial bacteria through fibrous, nutrient-dense whole foods, gut biome compounds support the synthesis, balance, and reuptake of specific nutrients, amino acids, and bioactive compounds that act as the foundational elements to stabilize brain chemicals.
Think of a house analogy for brain neurotransmitter support for the gut-brain connection to run smoothly. There are three systems that ensure your house gets the constant maintenance and communication system to function well:
1. Precursor amino acids — the “raw building materials”
Just as a house needs bricks, sand, and timber to construct walls and rooms, your brain needs amino acids as the raw materials to build neurotransmitters. For example:
Tryptophan is the “brick” for serotonin.
Tyrosine/phenylalanine are the “timber” for dopamine and norepinephrine.
If these materials are missing, the brain can’t produce the “wiring” (neurotransmitters) needed for mood, focus, and communication.
2. Enzymes and cofactors — the “construction crew and tools”
Enzymes are like the workers who assemble the raw materials into finished products, while cofactors (like iron, vitamin B6, magnesium) are the tools they need to work efficiently. For example, tyrosine hydroxylase is the “crew leader” that starts turning tyrosine into L‑DOPA, and it needs iron “tools” to function. Without enough tools or workers, the “construction” slows or stops, even if the raw materials are present.
3. Compounds that modulate reuptake or receptor sensitivity — the “house maintenance and upgrade system”
These are like smart home systems that control how long the “messages” (neurotransmitters) stay active and how strongly the “doors” (receptors) respond.
Reuptake inhibitors (like certain medications) are like “door locks” that keep neurotransmitters in the synaptic space longer, prolonging the signal.
Receptor modulators are like “sensors” that make the door more or less sensitive to the signal, adjusting the house’s response.
Reminder here, the body is a complexly beautiful system. Though consuming food may not "solve" all mental health situations, it supports the building blocks toward overall wellness. Medications play a profound role in many people's lives. Evidence shows that diets rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and minimally processed foods improve mood, reduce depression and anxiety, and support overall mental well-being. (APA, Journal of Psychiatry, Consumer Reports, etc.)
Next blog, we will look at food selections that enhance the structural components for building a strong house (brain)-- we're adding color to it! Knowing the broad concepts of food color selections detail some of their roles in the process of stabilizing our brain mechanisms. With this, keep in mind, this is at a macro-level and doesn't take into considerations regarding genetics, psychosocial epigenetic expression in past/current environment, etc. Food can't necessarily fix problems in the brain but can strengthen its overall, general functions.
*Note: this is not medical advice; any changes to your regimen, contraindications may occur with current care or treatment plan with healthcare providers and/or dietitians, please consult with licensed providers to .
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