October, 2019 | The Health
Nutrition
21
Nutritional psychiatry:
Steering our mental
health through
nutrients
With the increase of mental illness patients among Malaysians, the conventional
methods are complemented by treating the root cause of the issue
T
he national mental health level
has been deteriorating over
the past few years in Malaysia.
Mental health is indiscriminate
– it can affect anyone regardless
of gender, age and nationality.
The demands of living nowadays, coupled
with polluted surrounding could affect
a person physically and psychologically.
Research shows that unemployment, finan-
cial crisis, marital problems can be one of
the main contributors to the doubled mental
cases over the last decade.
“It’s an issue that has been going for a
while with its leaps and bounds in Malaysia
and even globally. Now if we look at the
statistic in Malaysia in 2015, about 30 per
cent of the population is affected by mental
health issues as opposed to 2011 when
it was at 11 per cent. In other words, one
out of three people are estimated to have
been affected by some kind of mental health
issue,” says Dr NorAshikin Mokhtar, the
founder of PrimaNora Medical Centre TTDI.
Mental illness is seen as the second
highest form of health problem after heart
disease by 2020. There’s an urgent need to
further the enlightenment to the matter as
mental illness may affect the global economy
as productivity is lost within the patients.
However, the usage of anti-depressants
and other conventional medicines creates
dependency and there’s little evidence that
they are safe for long-term usage.
“ The problem with conventional
medicines now is that they aim to treat the
diseases instead of the patients. Mental
treatment has always been about counselling
and medications. The fact is that treating
mental illness is beyond that.
“Whether its anxiety, depression or panic
attack – we need to look at the root cause of
the illness – are we at risk? Now with the
knowledge of nutrigenomics and genetics,
we can prevent it with nutrition supple-
ments,” she says.
Foods for thoughts
We live in a fast-paced society where 24
hours are not enough for a day. Fast food
becomes one of the popular selections to fill
our stomach. Coupled with the consumption
of processed food, the population today are
not getting the essential nutrients for their
mental health.
Poor mental health and nutritional
deficiencies are related as mental health
conditions are caused by inflammation in the
brain. This inflammatory response in our gut
is associated with a lack of nutrients such as
magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics,
vitamins and minerals that are required by
our body.
Food supplement such as zinc, magne-
sium, omega 3, and vitamins B and D3,
according to research – has the property
to improve moods, relieve anxiety and
depression and so does magnesium citrate
supplements.
Meanwhile, probiotics vitamin B complex
and zinc proved to improve mental health
Fast foods and processed foods are the
main culprits in nutrients deficiency
among young working adults.
To preserve the mental health, one should always eat fresh
ingredients and avoid processed foods.
and significantly reduces depression and
anxiety in a patient.
“People are now always in a hurry. Work-
ing class citizens usually opt for fast food
and that means you don’t consume healthy
meals daily. Your body works how you fuel it
to work – at the cellular level.
“There are definite nutrients that are
required for your body to work optimally.
Deficiency in vitamin D can cause depres-
sion, panic attacks and anxiety. Also amino
acids are required to make the neural hor-
mones – the dopamine and the serotonin.”
“All in all, the food we eat can consume us
in a bad way as there is a gut-brain connec-
tion. Almost 80 per cent of serotonin ( our
happy hormone ) is produced in the gut. The
chemical laden food will cause inflammation
and disrupt the proper function of the gut to
also absorb healthy nutrients and produce
the serotonin.”
Mental illnesses can cause an economi-
cal decline, that’s why it’s important that
the awareness is raised among the public.
There’s no sure way to prevent mental illness;
however, proper nutritional intake can delay
the process by keeping our brains strong and
healthy.
“Greater awareness about mental health
and early diagnosis can reduce the statistic
of suffering from mental health related
problems Nevertheless, there is room for
improvement for the finding and methods
to do future research,” Dr Ashikin says, with
hope in her voice. — The Health
Home-cooked meals are healthier as the cook can choose fresh and healthy ingredients. It will also bring family
members closer, strengthening an individual’s mind psychologically.