An estimated 280 million people worldwide suffer from depression. While depression is not the same for everyone, all patients affected by it seem to have one thing in common: a craving for carbohydrates. This was discovered during a study by researchers at the University Clinic of Bonn and Tübingen in Germany.
Whether patients were treated with anti-depressants or not, there were no significant differences, says Nils Kroemer, who has studied at both university clinics in the fields of psychiatry, psychology and psychotherapy.
Until now, it was thought that the craving for carbohydrate foods was related to the increased hunger that accompanies some depressive illnesses. "We were now able to show that this is not the case. In fact, the craving for carbohydrates is more related to general severe depression, especially the symptom of fear," explains Lilly Thurn, who led the study in Kroemer's team.
Our body can produce energy more quickly from carbohydrates, which are the main suppliers of our cells.
Under depression, the gut microbiome changes
Nils Kroemer believes that the reason why people with depression develop a craving for carbohydrates lies in the gut. Changes in the digestive system may have developed here. The transmission of information from the gastrointestinal tract to the brain via the vagus nerve may also be impaired, says Kroemer.
Many studies show that the gut microbiome is altered in depressed people and that these changes are part of the symptoms of depression. It has been found that symptoms improve if patients take foods with probiotics.
Should depressed people give up sweets and carbohydrates?
No, says Kroemer. "We know from previous research that giving people with depression no carbohydrates is not a good idea." Because: "It's not the sugary foods that cause depression. But in depression, preferences change," the researcher emphasizes.
However, it is understandable that these changes, at least partially, appear if we eat unhealthy foods for a long time.
It remains to be clarified: "What is the cause and effect?" says Kroemer. "Is it the food that causes a poor mental state in the long term? Or is the mental state the cause of the poor nutrition - and that then causes changes in the microbiome?"
For the researchers it is clear that: "We need to focus more intensively on digestion in the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders."
This has not yet been done in Germany. The national guidelines on the topic of depression state: "Patients and patients with depressive disorders should be encouraged to eat carefully and healthily."
Although these guidelines also state that: "Study results indicate the role of the microbiome-gut-brain axis and that the microbiome of patients with depression differs from that of healthy individuals," there is no recommendation for therapists to specifically analyze the gut flora of patients with depression. So far, there is very little evidence that this really helps, it is argued.
But study leader Lilly Thurn sees new treatment options as reasonable. "Therapies that target the combined treatment of the gut and brain should be particularly promising in the future." While Nils Kroemer emphasizes: "Changes in nutrition and digestion should not be considered secondary problems."
*Deutsche Welle
