Dieting Can Be Depressing
Dieting Can Be Depressing
Jan. 7, 2000 (Indianapolis) -- Research published in the January issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry shows that women who have had a history of depression may be at greater risk for recurrence of depression if they diet.
Low-calorie dieting can lead to depletion of a certain dietary component called tryptophan. This chemical is important for the creation of serotonin in the brain, a chemical responsible for transmitting nerve impulses, which are involved in mood regulation.
"Women who have recovered from depression show an abnormal sensitivity to the mood-lowering effects of ... tryptophan depletion, ... suggesting that they may have abnormalities in the regulation of brain serotonin," writes lead author Katherine A. Smith, MRCPsych, from the department of psychiatry at Warneford Hospital in Oxford, England.
The researchers identified 19 women with a history of major depression who were fully recovered and medication-free for at least six months. They also recruited 23 women with no current, lifetime, or family history of psychiatric disorders. The subjects were placed on a diet of approximately 1,000 calories per day for three weeks. During the diet, participants completed daily records of what they ate and rated themselves on three scales measuring if they were 'happy,' 'sad,' or 'irritable.'
The diet lowered blood tryptophan levels to the same extent in both sets of women. In those with a history of depression, there was no response by the body to compensate for the lowered serotonin levels, whereas in those without a history of depression, the body showed a hormonal adjustment to the decrease.
The authors stress that it is important to note that the dieting caused only very small changes in tryptophan. In addition, Smith stresses that the changes in the 'happy' scores were not significant enough to warrant a diagnosis of depression.
"What this suggests is that women with depression who diet are not capable of developing the same compensating responses that healthy women are," says Lawrence H. Price, MD, professor of psychiatry at Brown University School of Medicine in Providence, R.I. "I would tell my patients that it is OK to diet in a reasonable manner of slow and easy weight loss. If she becomes aware of any changes in mood, this should be brought to the attention of their therapist immediately."
Dieting Can Be Depressing
Low-calorie dieting can lead to depletion of a certain dietary component called tryptophan. This chemical is important for the creation of serotonin in the brain, a chemical responsible for transmitting nerve impulses, which are involved in mood regulation.
"Women who have recovered from depression show an abnormal sensitivity to the mood-lowering effects of ... tryptophan depletion, ... suggesting that they may have abnormalities in the regulation of brain serotonin," writes lead author Katherine A. Smith, MRCPsych, from the department of psychiatry at Warneford Hospital in Oxford, England.
The researchers identified 19 women with a history of major depression who were fully recovered and medication-free for at least six months. They also recruited 23 women with no current, lifetime, or family history of psychiatric disorders. The subjects were placed on a diet of approximately 1,000 calories per day for three weeks. During the diet, participants completed daily records of what they ate and rated themselves on three scales measuring if they were 'happy,' 'sad,' or 'irritable.'
The diet lowered blood tryptophan levels to the same extent in both sets of women. In those with a history of depression, there was no response by the body to compensate for the lowered serotonin levels, whereas in those without a history of depression, the body showed a hormonal adjustment to the decrease.
The authors stress that it is important to note that the dieting caused only very small changes in tryptophan. In addition, Smith stresses that the changes in the 'happy' scores were not significant enough to warrant a diagnosis of depression.
"What this suggests is that women with depression who diet are not capable of developing the same compensating responses that healthy women are," says Lawrence H. Price, MD, professor of psychiatry at Brown University School of Medicine in Providence, R.I. "I would tell my patients that it is OK to diet in a reasonable manner of slow and easy weight loss. If she becomes aware of any changes in mood, this should be brought to the attention of their therapist immediately."
