ANTIOXIDANTS AND DEPRESSION

ANTIOXIDANTS:

What exactly are antioxidants? These are something that preserves our body from damage and protect our body from free radicals. Antioxidants are not cure for depression but can help cope with it. They are the elements which fights the unstable molecules in our bodies which can cause diseases or disorder.

Lack of antioxidants can affect our body cells and speed up the aging process, can cause certain mental illness, breathing problem and can affect the immune system. The antioxidants prevents the oxidative stress (A process in which the free radicals destroys our body) and avoid illness such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, cancer, heart or respiratory diseases and any other inflammatory conditions. It is a fact that if our body is healthy then it can fight any illness by itself. The compounds present in our body like vitamin A, B, C and other nutrients are antioxidants that keep our bodies metabolism safe.

It is often said that imbalance in our bodies metabolism, oxidative stress and antioxidants can lead to mental illness such as stress, anxiety and depression. There are many benefits associated with antioxidants like it helps in heart diseases, fight neurological disorder, boost up the immune system, help battle with aging and its effects, improve eye-sight and many more. Low antioxidants can damage brains cells due to higher concentration of free radicals. If the body is exposed to many diseases, smoke, radiation and metal ions then it needs an antioxidant boost to deal with these harmful oxidative elements. Food is the only handy source of antioxidants, some sources are: Tomatoes, broccoli, hazel nut, spices, pepper, berries and many more. If these antioxidants turns into pro-oxidants then it can cause blood vessels, tissue and cell damage.

DEPRESSION:

Several times you have a rush of emotions. Sometime you feel very sad, lost or maybe confused. Do you know why? Well maybe it’s because we let our emotions and feelings take over our consciousness.

It is very normal to feel sad and stressed, sometimes due to certain problems and struggles in life, we don’t call it depression. Depression is a very severe case of extreme sadness, where the person feels helpless, worthless and hopeless with himself and the people around them.

Depression usually occurs due to personal factors or incidents related to present events and sometimes past history. It often affects the body along with our mind. Here are some of the symptoms of depression: feeling unhappy, feeling of helplessness and hopelessness, feeling tired, low immune system, loss of appetite, loss of energy, weight loss or weight gain, low self-esteem, excessive sleep or no sleep (insomnia) and suicidal thoughts. Depression is basically caused due to family history, excessive work, conflict with friends, stress at work, certain meditations, drugs, loss or death. Once you know that you are suffering from depression, the next step would be how you deal with it? Depression can be cured using medications, therapy or counseling.

FEW TIPS TO DEAL WITH DEPRESSION:

Make a proper schedule of your work and manage your sleep accordingly.
Exercise and meditate.
Make a healthy diet plan.
Concentrate on the positive aspects of life and don’t let the negative thoughts worry you.
Avoid taking drugs and alcohol to deal with stress.
If something worries you, try to have a conversation with someone you love or trust.

DOES FOOD HELP US FIGHT DEPRESSION:

For our bodies well-being, growth, development, repair and wellness. Nutrients plays a very vital role which can be gained with food. Without that our body cannot work or function with its full capacity.

Yes, food helps us fight depression as it helps to boost up the mood and one would not feel lethargic. Even if food has its benefits, excessive food can be harmful for the body. For example: Many people ‘stress eat’ when they have a bad mood, anxiety or they are stressed because of certain issues. This may lead to nausea, obesity and makes an individual emotionally unstable. This can be the start of depression in certain cases. People with low-nutrient intake are more prone to get depressed.

ROLE OF ANTIOXIDANTS IN DEPRESSION:

Several theories have found certain link between free radical and depression. To reduce free radicals, antioxidants are the best way to fight these free radicals and improve the symptoms of depression. The right amount of nutrients in the body can help ease depression. Healthy diet must be a part of everyone’s life. Deficiency of vitamin B, vitamin D, amino acids, omega-3, and other elements such as zinc, iron, magnesium and iodine can lead to high risk for depression. Depression can be triggered due to consumption of excessive sugar and fats. A very common example is stress eating, people usually eat sweet dish when they are stressed which can trigger depression.

An individual should always have essential antioxidants on his/her plate. Eating food with vitamin C, vitamin E and beta-carotene can help fight these free radicals that affects the brain cell and puts our brain at high risk for damage. Researchers have reported that patient suffering with major depression have increase in serum SOD (superoxide dismutase). The SOD is a very important antioxidant, as the serum helps defense the oxidative injury and avoid psychological stress. There are neurological disease such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases which is caused due to oxidative stress. The serum acts as an agent to fight these moderate injuries.

The role of antioxidants is the natural defense against stress and other changes caused due to oxidized stress in our brain. Antioxidants clear the OS (oxidative stress) pathway and remove the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) from our brain by scavenging the radicals and by protecting a human brain from neural damage. It can help with temporary relief from depression and anxiety. Depression can be treated with ‘Citalopram and Fluoxetine’ as it improves energy level in body along with the emotions of well-being.

The whole world is aware that depression is the most common mental health issue that affect thousands of people on a daily basis. Depression can make our brain complex with multiple hormonal and behavioral changes. It should be taken seriously and the depressed person should be loved and supported by his/her family and friends. One should be aware that depression cannot be cured just by motivation and support. An individual’s body and mind should also stay healthy.

Depression gets cured easily if we keep our mind and body healthy. Antioxidants are the key resources for good health of our body and brain. Proper intake of theses antioxidants can not only help treat depression but many other heath hazards.