Depression May Be Caused by Inflammation

[Suzanimal]

What do heart attacks and depression have in common? Both might be caused by inflammation.

Inflammation is our immune system’s natural response to injuries, infections, or foreign compounds. When triggered, the body pumps various cells and proteins to the site through the blood stream, including cytokines, a class of proteins that facilitate intercellular communication. It also happens that people suffering from depression are loaded with cytokines.

Which has some scientists thinking that depression may be a side effect of inflammation. That knowledge alone could lead to new treatments for depression, but even more effective would be to discover what’s causing the inflammation in the first place. Here, researchers are split.

Some think the inflammatory response may be spurred by an infection of some kind. Others think obesity or modern high-trans-fat, high-sugar diets could be the cause. Still others say that stress from bullying, rejection, or loneliness may be to blame.

Whatever the ultimate cause, researchers have begun exploring treatments that tackle the inflammatory symptoms of depression rather than the neurological ones. Here’s Caroline Williams, reporting for the Guardian:

The good news is that the few clinical trials done so far have found that adding anti-inflammatory medicines to antidepressants not only improves symptoms, it also increases the proportion of people who respond to treatment, although more trials will be needed to confirm this. There is also some evidence that omega 3 and curcumin, an extract of the spice turmeric, might have similar effects. Both are available over the counter and might be worth a try, although as an add-on to any prescribed treatment – there’s definitely not enough evidence to use them as a replacement.

...

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/bo...-inflammation/

[tod evans]

adding anti-inflammatory medicines to antidepressants

I'd be interested in seeing the results of feeding these "test subjects" pasture meat&garden veggies with morning noon and evening doobies....

Something tells me I'd get better results for less money....

[angelatc]

I'd be interested in seeing the results of feeding these "test subjects" pasture meat&garden veggies with morning noon and evening doobies....

Something tells me I'd get better results for less money....

Not with me . I'd weigh 300 lbs if I smoked pot twice a day, because I"d get stoned and do nothing but sit around and eat. And pot never made me feel happy . If anything, it depressed me because I'd sit around thinking too hard about stuff.

[phill4paul]

Not with me . I'd weigh 300 lbs if I smoked pot twice a day, because I"d get stoned and do nothing but sit around and eat. And pot never made me feel happy . If anything, it depressed me because I'd sit around thinking too hard about stuff.

Everyone is different and sometimes it depends on which strain one is smoking.

[angelatc]

All those GMOs at work....the horror!

[tod evans]

Not with me . I'd weigh 300 lbs if I smoked pot twice a day, because I"d get stoned and do nothing but sit around and eat. And pot never made me feel happy . If anything, it depressed me because I'd sit around thinking too hard about stuff.

Downers depressed me, speed wound me up and pot mellowed me out...

I never did look to something I ingested to make me "happy" but I've gotta admit that I laughed at the most stupid $#@! when I was stoned....

[juleswin]

All those GMOs at work....the horror!

Where does it say anything about gene splicing or GMO in all of that? seriously, do you have a link supporting the GMO claim? or are you trying to be provocative once again?

[juleswin]

Also, I get depressed when my favorite team loses and I doubt there is any amount of medication that can cure that type of depression. No amount of pharmaceuticals, natural herbs or anti inflammatory of any kind that can cure me. Just father time and a next win is the only remedy that seems to work

[GunnyFreedom]

Where does it say anything about gene splicing or GMO in all of that? seriously, do you have a link supporting the GMO claim? or are you trying to be provocative once again?

Absolutely nothing. Seven years later she is still trying to claim that ordinary breeding is GMO. While it is of course absurd on it's face to claim that crossbreeding is equivalent to bombarding seed with other-species DNA laced gold molecules in a particle accelerator, she thinks it is some kind of 'win' for GMO's to mock heirloom seed supporters by calling ordinary cultivation "GMO."

[pcosmar]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/bo...-inflammation/

I can guarantee that my depression has nothing to do with any "inflammation".
Nor other medical conditions in my body.

I am pretty sure some pot would help minimize it,, but would not "cure" it.

The first alcohol in a while didn't help at all.

Some depression is caused by life events that are actually depressing.

[Chester Copperpot]

I can guarantee that my depression has nothing to do with any "inflammation".
Nor other medical conditions in my body.

I am pretty sure some pot would help minimize it,, but would not "cure" it.

The first alcohol in a while didn't help at all.

Some depression is caused by life events that are actually depressing.

have you had your vitamin d level checked?

[donnay]

Inflammation and Depression

As discussed in an article by Dr. Kelly Brogan, depressive symptoms can be viewed as downstream manifestations of inflammation.

“The source itself may be singularly or multiply-focused as stress, dietary and toxic exposures, and infection... [I]nflammation appears to be a highly relevant determinant of depressive symptoms such as flat mood, slowed thinking, avoidance, alterations in perception, and metabolic changes,5” she writes.

Certain biomarkers, such as cytokines in your blood and inflammatory messengers like CRP, IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-alpha, show promise as potential new diagnostic tools, as they’re “predictive6 and linearly7 correlative” with depression.

For example, researchers have found8 that melancholic depression, bipolar disorder, and postpartum depression, are associated with elevated levels of cytokines in combination with decreased cortisol sensitivity (cortisol is both a stress hormone and a buffer against inflammation). As explained by Dr. Brogan:

“Once triggered in the body, these inflammatory agents transfer information to the nervous system, typically through stimulation of major nerves such as the vagus, which connects9 the gut and brain. Specialized cells called microglia in the brain represent the brain’s immune hubs and are activated in inflammatory states.

In activated microglia, an enzyme called IDO (indoleamine 2 3-dioxygenase) has been shown10 to direct tryptophan away from the production of serotonin and melatonin and towards the production of an NMDA agonist called quinolinic acid that may be responsible for symptoms of anxiety and agitation.

These are just some of the changes that may conspire to let your brain in on what your body may know is wrong.”

Source

Vitamin D May Reduce Depression and Pain

In related news, vitamin D supplementation has been found to reduce both depression and pain in diabetic women. As reported by PsychCentral:4

“The investigators set out to determine how vitamin D supplementation might affect women with type 2 diabetes who were also suffering from depression.

At the beginning of the study, 61 percent of women reported neuropathic pain, such as shooting or burning pain in their legs and feet, and 74 percent had sensory pain, such as numbness and tingling in their hands, fingers and legs.

During the course of the study, the participants took a 50,000 IU vitamin D2 supplement every week for 6 months. By the end of the study, the women’s depression levels had significantly improved following the supplementation.

Furthermore, participants who suffered from neuropathic and/or sensory pain at the beginning of the study reported that these symptoms decreased at 3 and 6 months following vitamin D2 supplementation.”

According to lead researcher Todd Doyle, Ph.D., vitamin D supplementation “is a promising treatment for both pain and depression in type 2 diabetes.” However, I would note that you’d probably get even better results using vitamin D3 rather than prescription D2. In fact, previous research suggests vitamin D2 might do more harm than good in the long term...

Source

What Does Inflammation Do?

Once inflammation is active, it is highly self-perpetuating. These inflammatory cytokines travel throughout the body causing oxidating stress to the fragile machinery of the tissues and mitochondria, specifically. In the brain, inflammation serves to shunt the use of tryptophan toward production of anxiety-provoking chemicals like quinolinate, instead of toward serotonin and melatonin. They produce a replicable collection of symptoms called “sickness syndrome”, noted for it’s overlap with “depressive” symptoms: lethargy, sleep disturbance, decreased social activity, mobility, libido, learning, anorexia, and andhedonia. Psychiatric researchers have observed that patients with higher levels of inflammatory markers (like CRP) are less likely to respond to antidepressants, and more likely to respond to anti-inflammatories.

Source

Why Sugar Can Increase Depression Risk

Let’s start with sugar. There are at least three potential mechanisms through which refined sugar intake could exert a toxic effect on mental health:

Sugar (particularly fructose) and grains contribute to insulin and leptin resistance and impaired signaling, which play a significant role in your mental health
Sugar suppresses activity of a key growth hormone called BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor) which promotes healthy brain neurons. BDNF levels are critically low in both depression and schizophrenia, which animal models suggest might actually be causative
Sugar consumption also triggers a cascade of chemical reactions in your body that promote chronic inflammation. In the long term, inflammation disrupts the normal functioning of your immune system, which is linked to a greater risk of depression

In 2004, noted British psychiatric researcher Malcolm Peet published a provocative cross-cultural analysis of the relationship between diet and mental illness.2 His primary finding was a strong link between high sugar consumption and the risk of both depression and schizophrenia. According to Peet:

“A higher national dietary intake of refined sugar and dairy products predicted a worse 2-year outcome of schizophrenia. A high national prevalence of depression was predicted by a low dietary intake of fish and seafood. The dietary predictors of... prevalence of depression are similar to those that predict illnesses such as coronary heart disease and diabetes, which are more common in people with mental health problems and in which nutritional approaches are widely recommended. Dietary intervention studies are indicated in schizophrenia and depression.”

One of the key predictors of heart disease and diabetes is in fact chronic inflammation, which, as Peet mentions, is also associated with poor mental health. And sugar consumption is a primary driver of chronic inflammation in your body, so consuming excessive amounts of sugar can truly set off an avalanche of negative health events – both mental and physical.

Following my recently revised nutrition plan is a simple way to automatically reduce your intake of sugar from all sources. Another previous study published in the International Breastfeeding Journal,3 found that inflammation may be more than just another risk factor. It may in fact be THE risk factor that underlies all others... According to the researchers:

“The old paradigm described inflammation as simply one of many risk factors for depression. The new paradigm is based on more recent research that has indicated that physical and psychological stressors increase inflammation. These recent studies constitute an important shift in the depression paradigm: inflammation is not simply a risk factor; it is the risk factor that underlies all the others.

Moreover, inflammation explains why psychosocial, behavioral and physical risk factors increase the risk of depression. This is true for depression in general and for postpartum depression in particular.”

Source

[dannno]

Not with me . I'd weigh 300 lbs if I smoked pot twice a day, because I"d get stoned and do nothing but sit around and eat. And pot never made me feel happy . If anything, it depressed me because I'd sit around thinking too hard about stuff.

Cannabis improves your metabolism by almost 20% and research shows people who use cannabis have thinner waistlines.

My suggestion to people is to use it then engage yourself in your favorite activities and hobbies. Or maybe even use that 'hard thinking' to come up with some new ones.

[presence]

1. Cannabinoids as novel anti-inflammatory drugs
   
   www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. National Center for Biotechnology Information
   
   
   by P Nagarkatti - ‎2009 - ‎Cited by 70 - ‎Related articles
   Cannabinoids are a group of compounds that mediate their effects through cannabinoid receptors. The discovery of Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as the major ...
   
   
   
3. Pot Smokers Show Less Inflammation - LiveScience
   
   www.livescience.com/49162-marijuana-smokers-lower-inflammation.html
   
   
   
   
4. Dec 17, 2014 - People who smoke marijuana may have lower levels of inflammation compared with people who have never smoked it, according to new ...
   
   
   
5. Why Cannabis Stems Inflammation -- ScienceDaily
   
   www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/.../080720222549.ht...
   
   
   
   Science Daily
   
   
   Jul 22, 2008 - Cannabis has long been accredited with anti-inflammatory properties. Researchers, however, have now discovered that it is not only the ...
   

[pcosmar]

have you had your vitamin d level checked?

I get sunshine as often as possible.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...8not-really%29

It has nothing to do with Vitamin d.,, nor any chemical imbalances..

It has to do with life realities that $#@!ing suck.

[tod evans]

I get sunshine as often as possible.

Orange?

[angelatc]

Where does it say anything about gene splicing or GMO in all of that? seriously, do you have a link supporting the GMO claim? or are you trying to be provocative once again?

You think that it's just a coincidence that pot is about 10x's stronger now than it was when we were youngsters? How do you think that happened?

http://www.science20.com/agricultura...gmo_pot-118437

The irony is that while marijuana has definitely been "genetically modified" to contain higher levels of THC, that change didn't involve the tools of modern biotechnology.

[Acala]

It is known that mindfulness helps with depression but nobody knows why. Mindfulness also has been shown to reduce chronic inflammation. Perhaps that is why it helps with depression?

[angelatc]

It is known that mindfulness helps with depression but nobody knows why. Mindfulness also has been shown to reduce chronic inflammation. Perhaps that is why it helps with depression?

What is mindfulness?

[angelatc]

Cannabis improves your metabolism by almost 20% and research shows people who use cannabis have thinner waistlines.

My suggestion to people is to use it then engage yourself in your favorite activities and hobbies. Or maybe even use that 'hard thinking' to come up with some new ones.

Links to prove those assertions?

You're just gonna have to trust me when I say that smoking pot is not a good thing for my mental health. I did enjoy it recreationally, and wouldn't turn it down even today if someone offered me a hit, but smoking every day is not good for me. I get a lot more accomplished when I'm not high. I make less mistakes, I focus better, and basically I guess the best way to explain it is that I'm not stoned all the time.

[tod evans]

What is mindfulness?

I'm an expert at mindlessness......

[luctor-et-emergo]

You think that it's just a coincidence that pot is about 10x's stronger now than it was when we were youngsters? How do you think that happened?

http://www.science20.com/agricultura...gmo_pot-118437

Well it may have become twice as strong in percentage terms. If it were possible they would make it much stronger though. I don't think this is a major issue, if it's stronger you could use less ? Anyways, a bigger issue with pot is that over the period that it became stronger, a major focus has been on THC content while we're finding out now that other compounds have different and maybe moderating effects.

Links to prove those assertions?

You're just gonna have to trust me when I say that smoking pot is not a good thing for my mental health. I did enjoy it recreationally, and wouldn't turn it down even today if someone offered me a hit, but smoking every day is not good for me. I get a lot more accomplished when I'm not high. I make less mistakes, I focus better, and basically I guess the best way to explain it is that I'm not stoned all the time.

It's good if you know your limits/what works for you.

[Acala]

What is mindfulness?

The simple answer is that it is a form of meditation.

One of the studies of mindfulness and inflammation: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/778570

[Chester Copperpot]

I get sunshine as often as possible.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...8not-really%29

It has nothing to do with Vitamin d.,, nor any chemical imbalances..

It has to do with life realities that $#@!ing suck.

well i understand your current circumstances can effect your mood but long term you really cant know for sure unless you have your blood tested

[Suzanimal]

It is known that mindfulness helps with depression but nobody knows why. Mindfulness also has been shown to reduce chronic inflammation. Perhaps that is why it helps with depression?

Strange thing is, it's not easy.

I'm an expert at mindlessness......

Now that's easy.

[angelatc]

Still waiting for the link that shows that pot speeds up the metabolism. I "researched" it but everything that Google brings up seems to indicate that it's an urban myth

[presence]

Still waiting for the link that shows that pot speeds up the metabolism. I "researched" it but everything that Google brings up seems to indicate that it's an urban myth

keyword thcv cannabis

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3671751/

[presence]

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is "the intentional, accepting and non-judgemental focus of one's attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness

[Ronin Truth]

FWIW, and for the record, being inflamed sometimes depresses me.

[luctor-et-emergo]

Still waiting for the link that shows that pot speeds up the metabolism. I "researched" it but everything that Google brings up seems to indicate that it's an urban myth

There's science that says weed makes you fatter.
This in my opinion is trash science though... Way too small group, too short study.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science...95666388800175


This one is more interesting, it's on long term cannabis smoking and although weight is not the focus of the study it does say;

Carbohydrate intake and percent calories from carbohydrates, but not total energy intake, were significantly higher in cannabis smokers. There were no group differences in percent total body fat, or hepatic fat, but cannabis smokers had a higher percent abdominal visceral fat

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/con...6/8/2415.short

Now I'm no dietary expert but it would be interesting to see what happens when that's coupled to a low-carb diet.

I don't think there is a link between cannabis and losing weight per se. I think it has to do with other lifestyle choices. If you enjoy healthy eating - even while high - and being high makes you too lazy to cook, well there you go, you lose weight. If on the other hand you grab a bag of Cheetos well that's not going to work.