Skip to main content

Don’t Fall Prey to Holiday Depression

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

For many, the upcoming holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year or the most depressing.  Excessive stress is often contagious with the added financial strain of travel, costs of presents, food and/or entertainment. 

It is no coincidence that the holidays are the sickest time of the year.  Poor food choices, diminished physical activity levels and excessive levels of stress can be linked to the physical and emotional symptoms of depression. 

Highly processed food items are commonly loaded with carbohydrates that are a leading cause of nutritional imbalances.  Nutritional imbalances create deficiencies that interfere with proper brain function and hormone balance that causes poor concentration, feelings of guilt, lack of energy and other symptoms of depression.

Sweet desserts and refined carbohydrates cause sharp fluctuations in blood sugar levels.  This rapid fluctuation is known to cause irritability, forgetfulness and digestive problems.

Compelling research proves connection

A recent study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry found that consuming processed foods correlated to a 58 percent increase in depression symptoms.  The holiday season is the most common time of the year to over-indulge in sweets.

Coincidently higher sugar consumption equates to a lower desire to be physically active.  Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, healthy meats and other non-processed foods have the opposite effect. 

Nutrients balance hormones

Eat for nutritional quality. A healthy mix of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and healthy meats will lower the risk of depression as they will not spike blood sugar. These foods are dense in nutrients and have little sugar.

Vital nutrients support and regulate the processes of the body. For instance, B vitamins—B2, B6, B9 (folic acid) and B12—regulate the toxic amino acid homocysteine.  Homocysteine is known to prevent proper brain function as seen in depression.

If the body is deficient in B vitamins, the level of homocysteine can increase and the brain struggles to manage gene expression, enzyme regulation and the production of neurotransmitters like dopamine – a critical brain hormone.

Exercise and nutrition deemed critical

Regular exercise also plays a key role in utilizing and stabilizing blood sugar levels.  Managing and preventing depression is as simple as going for a walk, riding a bike or engaging in a physical activity of your choice.

Exercise has been shown to be more effective than a placebo and antidepressants in numerous clinical studies.  Engaging in an exercise regimen not only gets you fit but it will encourage a healthier diet as well.

Supplementation has also been found to help fight the symptoms of depression. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to help the function of the brain's neurotransmitters and increase the production of serotonin.

Mood, learning ability and quality of sleep are all regulated by serotonin. Often, drugs prescribed to treat depression are designed to increase the level of serotonin produced by the brain. However, these medications often carry other dangerous, unwanted side effects.

Ensure that this upcoming holiday season is not a depressing one.  It is important to improve one’s daily nutritional and fitness habits leading up to and following known poor nutrition days.  The prevention of depression is easier than the treatment of it.

You may be busy, stressed and over-worked but don’t let the holidays add extra weight and medications to your life.   Look at your schedule, make a plan and commit to good nutrition and physical fitness on the non-holiday days. 

Dr. Cory Couillard is an international healthcare speaker and columnist for numerous newspapers, magazines, websites and publications throughout the world. He works in collaboration with the World Health Organization's goals of disease prevention and global healthcare education. Views do not necessarily reflect endorsement.

Facebook: Dr Cory Couillard
Twitter: DrCoryCouillard

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Can we now cure HIV in newborns?

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net Doctors are reporting that a child born with HIV that was put on an unusually aggressive treatment regimen has been functionally cured of the infection. Using the most sensitive HIV testing available, they were able to find only trace amounts of HIV "particles" but no virus capable of replicating, the research team reported. "If there is a trial that shows this can happen again, then this will be very important," said Dr. Karin Nielsen, a pediatrician who specializes in infectious diseases at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine. "You'll be able to treat people very intensively and reverse the disease." The news provides no answers for adults living with HIV but it can be a landmark victory in the health of future generations. Every year, 300,000 to 400,000 babies are born infected with HIV according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases.   The ...

Strong health systems critical in addressing health threats in the African Region

Brazzaville, 8 April 2015 – The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti has called on the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Republic of Congo to advocate with their national governments to strengthen health systems to be able to address the health challenges facing the African Region. She briefed the diplomats about the on-going Ebola epidemic in West Africa, current and emerging health threats in the WHO African Region, progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and the strategic priorities for WHO’s work in the Region for 2015-2020. The Regional Director underscored the importance of strong national health systems to be able to withstand epidemics and emergencies while delivering essential health services to people who need them most. Dr Moeti pointed out that the Ebola epidemic has had devastating impacts on families, livelihoods, security, health workforce, service delivery and overall socioeconomic development of the...

WHO staff on the ground essential to breaking Ebola transmission chains

Freetown/ Brazzaville, 24 August 2015  – Ongoing efforts to get to zero Ebola cases in Sierra Leone are yielding good results. This follows a massive deployment of experts by the World Health Organization and partners, to track and break each and every transmission chain of Ebola virus disease (EVD) through linking intensive community engagement and social mobilization efforts with surveillance and contact tracing.  The tracking and breaking of transmission chains requires tremendous numbers of qualified staff to work with the communities to identify if a person has been in contact with someone infected with EVD, monitor them for symptoms for up to 21 days, and to quickly isolate and treat them in a treatment centre if symptoms develop.  “Stopping Ebola transmission chains has required rapid mobilization of human and financial resources; this has been my top priority since my appointment,” says Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.  “Over 530 highly-...