Everybody is talking about leading a healthy lifestyle nowadays, am I right? And, well, while I don’t deny the fact that this is important, I also don’t deny the fact that people have the right to get annoyed by everyone saying this, simple because it is such a generic statement that it will, of course, be right in any situation, and even though they quite often don’t even understand what they are talking about. Nutrition, of course, is a big part of a healthy lifestyle, and it seems to be all we are hearing about lately.
Read more about its importance for mental health: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13668-024-00520-4
So, here’s a disclaimer right away. This won’t be another one of those posts talking about the importance of eating healthy in general. Even the birds on the trees know that already, and, frankly, most of us are sick and tired of reading about it. Especially if, once again, we are hearing about it in those generic contexts.
Yet, we will touch upon the subject of eating healthy. But, with a different purpose. A more specific one, and one backed by actual data and evidence, and already explained by useful sources such as Genesight, for example. So, to cut right to the chase, what we are going to be talking about today is the effect of your diet and nutrition on SSRI medications, which can be helpful if you’re taking them, or simply if you’re curious to learn about this particular link. Not another generic article on the importance of healthy eating, thus – but an article on the specific effects of certain foods on these medications. Enjoy!
What Are SSRIs?
Clearly, we have to begin with talking about SSRIs in a bit more details. After all, you do have to understand what these medications actually are, so that you can then understand their link to your diet. So, without any more ado, let us offer a definition of these meds. Here is on antidepressants in general.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a class of antidepressants. They work by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin, so when it is excreted into the synaptic cleft, it remains there, and thus has a more long-term and a generally stronger impact on your brain. Serotonin is an important neurotransmitter that can affect your mood, lead to the reduction of irritability, as well as anxiety and depression symptoms. Is suppose, thus, that you understand the significant role that SSRIs play in your brain chemistry, and in the process of dealing with certain mental problems, such as depression, for one thing.
Why Eating Healthy Is Important?
Okay, you now get what SSRIs are. But, what does that have to do with your diet at all? Shouldn’t the medications just work their magic regardless of what it is that you are eating? Well, you would think that it would be that way, but the truth is that all of our internal processes are interconnected, and that, therefore, what we are eating can undeniably affect how we are responding to certain medications.
And, the same goes for SSRIs, naturally. For one thing, if you are not getting enough important nutrients, vitamins, minerals and the like, your brain is going to enter a state of nutritional deficiency. This means that it won’t be that responsive to the effects of medications, and they won’t, therefore, be able to work to their full potential. So, eating a lot of ultra processed food, for example, can lead to such a deficiency, and have a negative impact on how you respond to these medications.
Moving on, we cannot fail to mention that the link between your gut and your brain plays an important role in this as well. As it is so beautifully explained at Genesight, ultra processed food can lead to gut microbiome disruption, reducing those beneficial gut bacteria, while promoting the harmful ones. And, since 95% of serotonin is actually produced in the gut, and since the gut and the brain are connected, I suppose it is clear to you already how this can have a harmful effect on the way SSRIs will work in your body. In short, it can reduce their effectiveness.
Apart from all of that, we cannot fail to mention that inflammatory pathway, that, once again, has a clear impact on the link between ultra processed foods and mental health. As explained by Genesight already, the inflammation caused by these foods can reach the brain, thus disrupting normal neurological function. Among other things, it makes your receptors less responsive to serotonin, thus lowering the effects of SSRIs.
The Takeaway: Avoid UPF
If there is one thing to take with you from this article, then it would be this. Try to avoid ultra processed food when you’re on SSRIs. Sure, a snack here and there is completely normal. But, too much UPF can undoubtedly reduce the effects of these medications, and that is certainly not what you want.