Phytochemicals and Depression

Depression is a normal response as part of our daily lives such as the loss of s job, the death of a love one, and illness. Over 30 million Americans suffer from depression and the amount is increasing in an alarming rate. Depression may be a mental health disorder that can affect the way you eat, sleep, and the way you feel about yourself. The mild case of depression can be defeated by a variety of self-care techniques. Others require the treatment of medication, such as antidepressant medications and psychotherapy that help to reduce and sometimes eliminate the symptoms of depression

Types of food to prevent and treat depression
1. Turmeric
Curcumin is a major active compound of Curcuma longa. In the study to investigate the effect of curcumin on endogenous glutamate release in nerve terminals of rat prefrontal cortex and the underlying mechanisms, suggested that curcumin inhibits evoked glutamate release from rat prefrontocortical synaptosomes by the suppression of presynaptic Ca(v)2.2 and Ca(v)2.1 channels. The inhibitory effect of curcumin on 4-AP-evoked glutamate release was completely abolished by the clinically effective antidepressant fluoxetine. This suggests that curcumin and fluoxetine use a common intracellular mechanism to inhibit glutamate release from rat prefrontal cortex nerve terminals(1).

2. Green tea
In the study to investigate the antidepressant-like effects and the possible mechanism of action of green tea in widely used mouse models of depression, found that GTP has antidepressant-like effects, and this action did not induce nonspecific motor changes in mice. Green tea polyphenols also reduced serum corticosterone and ACTH levels in mice exposed to the FST. The present study demonstrated that GTP exerts antidepressant-like effects in a mouse behavioral models of depression, and the mechanism may involve inhibition of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis(2).

3.  Blueberries, broccoli and grapefruit (Fruits contain high amount of vitamin C)
In the study to evaluate the influence of ascorbic acid on depressive-like behavior induced by CUS paradigm, serum corticosterone levels and markers of oxidative stress in cerebral cortex and hippocampus of mice. Animals were submitted to CUS procedure during 14 days indicated that a rapid and robust effect of ascorbic acid in reversing behavioral and biochemical alterations induced by CUS in mice, suggesting that this vitamin may be an alternative approach for the management of depressive symptoms(3).

4. Flax Seeds and deep sea fishes
In the study to investigate whether a supplement containing long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA) improves depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in depressed elderly patients, showed that Supplementation with n-3 LCPUFA is efficacious in the amelioration of depressive symptoms and quality of life in the treatment of depressed elderly female patients(4).

5. Spinach and Asparagus
Spinach and Asparagus contain high amounts of folate. Study shows that compared with other forms of folates, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (L-methylfolate or 5-MTHF) may represent a preferable treatment option for MDD given its greater bioavailability in patients with a genetic polymorphism, and the lower risk of specific side effects associated with folic acid. Although further randomized controlled trials in this area appear warranted, SAMe and L-methylfolate may represent a useful addition to the AD armamentarium(5)

6. Etc.

Sources
(1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21741425
(2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21964320
(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22154133
(4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20595646
(5) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22762295