Brain doctor reveals 1 thing you need to avoid if you’re depressed

If you’re one of the 1 in 7 Aussies currently living with depression, you’ll want to hear this advice from a renowned psychiatrist.

A renowned psychiatrist has revealed the one thing you should definitely be avoiding if you’re depressed: junk food.

“Your gut health is critical to brain health,” Dr Daniel Amen, a brain-imaging researcher in California, said according to the New York Post reports.

“If you have, for example, an ultra-processed food diet, you have a dramatically increased risk of struggling with depression.”

A brain doctor has revealed 1 thing you need to avoid if you’re living with depression. Picture: Supplied

Researchers have long been highlighting the importance of the gut-brain connection — the idea that the gut and brain constantly communicate through an intricate network of nerves and chemical signals.

The brain signals the gut to prepare for food digestion, while stress can trigger signals that cause gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea or diarrhoea.

For its part, the gut microbiome, the collection of bacteria, viruses and fungi in our digestive system, produces chemicals that can influence brain function and affect mood.

Dr Daniel Amen, a brain-imaging researcher in California, said those eating an ultra-processed food diet will have a dramatically increased risk of struggling with depression. Picture: Supplied

Dr Amen notes that over 100 trillion microbes, primarily bacteria, make up the microbiome. He refers to them as “bugs” and likens them to “pets”.

“You have to feed your gut bugs healthy foods, fibre, colourful fruits and vegetables, healthy protein in order for your gut to support your brain,” Dr Amen explained.

Ultra-processed foods have earned a poor reputation for having lots of calories, sugar, fat and salt and little to no vitamins or fibre.

Junk food has been linked to an increased risk of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and cancer.

This means junk food such as burgers, chips and pizza need to be avoided. Picture: Supplied

A 2023 study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that people who consume nine or more servings of ultra-processed foods a day have a 50 per cent higher risk of developing depression than those who eat four or fewer daily servings.

Artificial sweeteners and artificially sweetened beverages, in particular, were associated with an increased risk of depression, with researchers suggesting that these chemicals spur certain transmissions in the brain that can lead to depression.

Depression affects 1 in 7 people in Australia, according to Beyond Blue.

The mental illness is a serious condition that affects your physical and mental health.

Besides affecting your quality of life and relationships, depression can raise the risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety disorders and substance abuse.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Brain doctor reveals 1 thing you need to avoid if you’re depressed