Micronutrients and Childhood Psychosis (2012)

This study investigated micronutrients in childhood psychosis. Childhood psychosis is difficult to address effectively with conventional pharmaceuticals, many of which have adverse long-term health consequences. In contrast, there are promising reports from several research groups of micronutrient treatment (vitamins, minerals, amino acids and essential fatty acids) of mood, anxiety and psychosis symptoms using a complex formula that appears to be safe and tolerable. The study reviews previous studies using this formula to support mental symptoms, and presents an 11-year-old boy with a 3-year history of mental illness whose parents chose to transition him from medication to micronutrients. Symptom severity was monitored in three clusters: anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and psychosis. Complete remission of psychosis occurred, and severity of anxiety and obsessional symptoms decreased significantly (p<0.001); the improvements are sustained at 4-year follow-up. A cost comparison revealed that micronutrient treatment was <1% of his inpatient mental healthcare. Additional research on broad-spectrum micronutrient treatment is warranted.

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Efficacy and cost of micronutrient treatment of childhood psychosis. Rodway et al. (2012). British Medical Journal Case Reports, doi:10.1136/bcr-2012-007213 

Omega 3 and anxiety (2011)

This study investigated omega 3 and anxiety. The study set out to determine if omega-3 fish oil supplementation could improve both anxiety levels and inflammation in a group of 68 medical students who didn’t have a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder but could be expected to be experiencing some level of anxiety as medical exams were coming up. The researchers measured anxiety levels, and took blood tests to measure markers of inflammation (known as proinflammatory cytokines). The subjects were given either a high dose fish oil (2g of the omega-3 EPA and 348mg of DHA) or a placebo capsule daily for 12 weeks. At this point, the measurements were taken again and these showed that those who had taken the fish oil had both lower levels of anxiety and lower levels of proinflammatory cytokines.

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Omega-3 supplementation reduces anxiety and inflammation in healthy young adults. Kiecolt–Glaser et al., 2011

Omega 3 and wellbeing (2007)

This 2007 New Zealand study investigated omega 3 concentrations and wellbeing. 2,416 people participating in the 1997 National Nutrition Survey. Researchers investigated if a relationship existed between the composition of fats in the blood and the mental and physical well-being.

They found that the higher the proportion of Omega 3 fats, the better the physical and mental wellbeing of the person. Specifically they measured EPA levels in the blood as well as the ratio of EPA to arachidonic acid (AA).

EPA is the fatty acid found in oily fish and fish oil supplements while AA is mostly found in meat and dairy products.

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Crowe FL et al.,’Serum phospholipid n 3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and physical and mental health in a population-based survey of New Zealand adolescents and adults’.  Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Nov;86(5):1278-85

School Children & Healthy Diets (2008)

This study investigated school children & healthy diets. A Canadian survey of 5,000 11 year olds and their families found that children who ate more fruits and vegetables and fewer calories from fat were 41% more likely to pass a literacy assessment. Furthermore, children with poor diet quality were observed to perform more poorly academically in school. Socioeconomic factors were taken into account when making the analysis.

Florence M D et al. ‘Diet quality and academic performance,’ J Sch Health. 2008 Apr;78(4):209-15

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Sleep Deprivation & Adolescence (2010)

This study investigated sleep deprivation & adolescence. Later parent-set bedtimes and correspondingly shorter sleep duration appears to be related to the development of depression in adolescence, a cross-sectional analysis showed. In the sample 24% of adolescents were shown to experience depression when going to sleep at midnight or later. In addition to depression, adolescents with later bedtimes also had a greater risk of having a 20% increased incidence of suicidal thoughts, compared with adolescents who went to bed before 10:00pm.

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Gangwisch, J. E., Babiss, L. A., Malaspina, D., Turner, J. B., Zammit, G. K., & Posner, K. (2010). Earlier parental set bedtimes as a protective factor against depression and suicidal ideation. Sleep, 33(1), 97–106. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/33.1.97

Tryptophan & Emotional Processing (2006)

This study assessed  tryptophan & emotional processing. It explored whether tryptophan (TRP) induces cognitive changes opposite to the negative biases found in depression and characteristic of those induced by serotonergic antidepressants in healthy volunteers. Thirty eight healthy volunteers were randomised to receive 14 days double-blind intervention with TRP (1g for 3x a day) or placebo. On the final day, emotional processing was assessed using four tasks: facial expression recognition, emotion-potentiated startle, attentional probe and emotional categorisation and memory. The results showed that TRP increased the recognition of happy facial expressions and decreased the recognition of disgusted facial expressions in female, but not male, volunteers. TRP also reduced attentional vigilance towards negative words and decreased baseline startle responsivity in the females. It concludes that these findings provide evidence that TRP supplementation in women induces a positive bias in the processing of emotional material that is reminiscent of the actions of serotonergic antidepressants. This highlights a key role for serotonin in emotional processing and lends support to the use of TRP as a nutritional supplement in people with mild depression or for prevention in those at risk.

Murphy SE et al. ‘Tryptophan supplementation induces a positive bias in the processing of emotional material in healthy female volunteers’. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2006 Jul;187(1):121-30. Epub 2006 May 4

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Healthy food boosts school performance (2007)

Research has demonstrated that healthy food boosts school performance. The Nutrition and Health survey in Taiwan Elementary School Children, 2001-2002, analysed the diets and school performance of 2,222 primary school children. The study shows that children with poorer overall school performance were more likely to eat sweets and fried foods and were less likely to eat foods rich in protein, vitamins and minerals.

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Fu ML et al. ‘Association between Unhealthful Eating Patterns and Unfavorable Overall School Performance in Children’, J Am Diet Assoc. 2007;107:1935-1943

Poor diet & mental health in teens (2011)

Research has investigated poor diet & mental health in teens. Three quarters of lifetime psychiatric disorders emerge in the teenage years or in early adulthood. In an Australian study involving 2054 teenagers, researchers found that during a 2 year period, the teenagers who improved the quality of their diets experienced improved mental health. In contrast, those whose diet quality deteriorated experienced a worsening of their mental health. A better quality diet was one that included fruit and vegetables as “core food groups” and included both 2 or more servings of fruit per day and 4 or more servings of vegetables, as well as general avoidance of processed foods including chips, fried foods, chocolate, sweets, and ice cream. A poorer quality diet was defined as one which was high in snack and processed foods. This study could have important implications for prevention of mental health disorders.

Jacka FN, Kremer PJ, Berk M, de Silva-Sanigorski AM, Moodie M, et al. (2011) A Prospective Study of Diet Quality and Mental Health in Adolescents. PLoS ONE 6(9): e24805.

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Schizophrenia & gluten free, low carb diets (2009)

Research has investigated schizophrenia & gluten free, low carb diets. The research relates the case of a schizophrenic woman whose symptoms improved when she was put on a low-carb, ketogenic diet. This highlights the possible link between coeliac disease and schizophrenia. 

The review of several studies concludes that more research is needed to confirm the association between gluten intake and schizophrenia and whether dietary change can ameliorate schizophrenic symptoms. Health care providers could consider screening for coeliac disease and/or augment the medical regimen for patients with schizophrenia with a gluten free or low carb diet.

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Schizophrenia symptoms may be helped by a gluten free, low carb diet. Kraft & Westman (2009). Archives of General Psychiatry, 66(10): 1090-1098.

Diabetes & Schizophrenia (2008)

Research has investigated the link between diabetes & schizophrenia.  This study looked at 99 patients with schizophrenia.  Their 2 h post prandial plasma glucose was tested prior to medication and then again after 6 weeks on medication.  The results were compared with a matched healthy control group.  The study found a significant difference in baseline 2 h post-prandial blood suger between the control group and treatment group as well as significant increase in weight, fasting blood sugar and 2h post-prandial blood sugar from baseline to endpoint between the groups.  It concluded that male patients with schizophrenia were liable to develop Diabetes Mellitus(DM) and antipsychotic treatment may lead to the development of DM in a significant 10% within 6 weeks.

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Saddichha s et al ‘Diabetes and schizophrenia – effect of disease or drug? Results from a randomized, double-blind, controlled prospective study in first-episode schizophrenia’.Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2008 May;117(5):342-7. Epub 2008 Feb 26