The Age of Anxiety was a term coined in the 1940s to characterize the tumultuous and altered world following World War II, but with Russia’s attack on Ukraine, increasing energy costs, and so much economic uncertainty, it seems to be a fitting depiction of our current difficult times.
Although mental health issues such as sadness and anxiety are on the rise (and have been for years), the therapies have not altered significantly.
If your symptoms are severe, you will likely be prescribed medication and possibly psychotherapy. However, many individuals may not wish to take medication, and therapy is not for everyone.
But there is good news, as recently reported in Nature, a major scientific publication, in the form of promising research into potential causes and therapies. These consist of:
PRESS-UPS AND FASTING
When I was in medical school, we were informed that adults do not produce new brain cells, so we must preserve the ones we have (I thought at the time that this was a subtle dig at the culture of medical students drinking and destroying their brain cells).
In the 1990s, however, when researchers began conducting post-mortem investigations of the human brain, they discovered signs of new cell growth in regions of the brain such as the hippocampus, which helps control mood and memory. Consequently, we continue to generate new brain cells even as we age, a process known as neurogenesis.
Recent brain scans have revealed, however, that prolonged stress disrupts this delicate equilibrium, hastening the death of existing brain cells while retarding the creation of new ones. It is believed that this could be a cause of depression and anxiety, as well as a problem for memory and other cognitive functions (though exactly how is unclear).
This may also help explain how some antidepressants function, as we already know that they can stimulate cell development in the hippocampus and other brain regions. One way they accomplish this is by promoting the release of the neurotransmitter BDNF, which works as brain fertilizer.
There are non-drug ways to increase BDNF and, consequently, the development of new brain cells, such as resistance training and intermittent fasting. Press-ups and squats appear to be the most effective resistance exercises for increasing BDNF because they induce large blood flow increases to the brain, which in turn stimulates the production of additional BDNF. This is one reason why I perform at least 30 squats and press-ups daily.
As for intermittent fasting, both time-restricted eating (10 am to 8 pm) and the 5:2 approach (dramatically reducing calorie intake for two days each week) have been demonstrated to increase BDNF.
A blow to the head
Stimulating your brain with mild electric shocks is another method for enhancing your mood. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a more drastic form of electric shock therapy that involves implanting electrodes in regions of the brain that regulate mood.
DBS was created to treat Parkinson’s disease-related tremors, and its efficacy is remarkable. A study of 17 research published last year in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience indicated that it was effective in more than half of cases of depression refractory to previous therapies while having a less remarkable effect on depression.
Using electrodes linked to the scalp to transmit modest electrical currents to specific regions of the brain is a significantly less invasive method for suppressing a type of brainwave that is more prevalent in depressed individuals.
In a 2019 study conducted by the University of North Carolina, 32 individuals with severe depression were treated in this manner, and when re-evaluated a few weeks later, 70% reported significantly better symptoms.
LIGHT THERAPY
If you dislike electric shocks, consider light treatment. Your internal clock attempts to keep your body in sync with the external environment.
Exposure to bright morning light at the start of the day resets your internal clock and prepares you for the day.
With the advent of artificial light, however, we now spend too much time indoors and stay up too late, which is terrible for our body clocks and brains, as well as our mood, as it impacts the generation of mood-regulating hormones.
A quick strategy to improve your mood is to take a vigorous 20-minute walk in the morning, which will also reset your circadian rhythm. Or, you may try 30 minutes in front of a SAD lamp, a light box that emits 10,000 lux (a measure of light intensity), which is comparable to a sunny summer day and around 50 times stronger than the light you would receive indoors.
In a small study published in July, researchers from the University of Basel in Switzerland assigned 22 women with severe post-natal depression to either 30 minutes a day of bright-light therapy (10,000 lux) or dim red light (the control group) for six weeks. After the study, 73% of the women who received bright-light therapy were no longer depressed, compared to 27% of the control group.
AVOID FATTY FOOD
At least half of the average Briton’s calories today come from ultra-processed junk food (the type of food that comes in flashy packets with a long list of strange-sounding ingredients), and there is a strong possibility that this is hurting our brains.
In a recent study, researchers at Florida Atlantic University examined more than 10,000 individuals about their eating habits and mental health. They discovered that the more junk food individuals consumed, the more likely they were to report mentally ill or ‘anxious’ days.
Australian researchers released a crucial study in 2017 in which moderately or severely depressed individuals who adopted a healthier Mediterranean-style diet were able to discontinue medication after a few months.
Why is processed food so detrimental to the brain? In addition to being high in salt, sugar, and fat, it is typically poor in fiber and key vitamins, which leads to chronic inflammation in the brain and throughout the body. This appears to result in the rewiring of brain circuits, which might produce depression or anxiety.
EAT MARMITE
The vitamin B6 present in tuna, salmon, fortified cereals, and one of my favorite spreads, Marmite, appears to be vital for mood.
A recent study conducted by the University of Reading indicated that B6 in high dosages reduced anxiety and depression symptoms in adolescents. Marinate salmon fillets in a mixture of Marmite, soy sauce, honey, and chili to obtain a sufficient amount of vitamin B6. It sounds awful, but it works!
