Your diet plays a big role in your mental health. Too much omega-6 compared to your intake of omega-3 can lead to more aggressive behavior. Too much sugar leads to hyperactivity, but it also can cause depression and anxiety. With sugar, it becomes a vicious cycle. You get a sugar high from eating it, which drops quickly to a low when you need another hit. Eventually, like many drugs, it takes more and more sugar hits to get the same high. Studies show that eating a diet higher in sugar can lead to depression or anxiety. One study shows consuming sugar is the cause of the problem, not the result.
Sugar is in everything!
If you’ve noticed people seem heavier than they were just a few decades earlier, your observation is correct. Americans are heavier than several decades ago. Part of it is consuming more calories, but that’s not the entire story. Part of the problem is the change in the gut microbiome—which includes the virus, bacteria, fungi, and other microbes in the intestines. The populations of these microbes change for many reasons: medication like antibiotics, environmental factors, and diet. A diet high in sugary junk food dramatically affects them.
The microbes do more than help digest food.
The microbes digest food that the body can’t. They eat soluble fiber and change it into a gel that helps keep you regular. They help release nutrients for your body that affect your brain. They also produce a substance that sends signals to the brain, controlling your appetite and affecting your mood. Too much sugar diminishes the beneficial microbes that can improve your mood while increasing the ones that negatively affect health. Junk food is high in sugar but low in fiber, both of which can cause an imbalance and increase both anxiety and depression.
What goes up must come down.
Eating sugar spikes your energy. It’s called a spike because it rises rapidly and descends as quickly. When blood sugar drops suddenly, it causes the body to alert the brain there’s a problem. Epinephrine, a stress hormone, does that. It tells the liver to release more glucose. That stress releases adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline can cause your heart to race and give you sweaty palms. That’s starting to sound like a panic attack from an anxiety issue. The process completes when cortisol, another fight-or-flight hormone, is released. It can also lead to anxiety.
- There’s a brain-gut connection. The gut bacteria help create neurotransmitters, like serotonin, and reduce inflammation. Serotonin can help you feel less stressed, anxious, or depressed.
- If you’re eating junk food and foods high in sugar, you’re missing whole foods in your diet and the nutrients they contain. Foods containing omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins D, B6, B12, and probiotics help fight anxiety.
- Sugar causes inflammation. Inflammation can increase the risk of heart disease, cancer, and arthritis. It can put you at risk for mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
- Withdrawal from a high-sugar diet can be difficult. Take it slowly. Include plenty of fresh fruit in your diet to replace the food with added sugar, like cookies, cakes, and candy.
For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness