Americans are facing a mental health crisis. Nearly one in five people suffers from a diagnosable issue every year, including depression, anxiety, and mood disorders.
Mental illnesses do more than just affect the brain. They also have the capacity to lead to addiction, while certain substances or behaviors instigate further mental health concerns. This holds true for physical addictions such as drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes, but also includes more insidious substances such as sugar.
Both mental health disorders and physical additions have serious effects on the body, and their joint impact on health and wellness indicates a holistic approach to healing. With rising numbers and increasing pools of risk, researchers are turning to possible correlations between the mind and body—including metabolic health.
Metabolic health has a significant effect on addiction and mental health. Not only does being physically healthy reduce the risk of developing addictions, but evidence suggests it can also improve mental health markers by resetting the body.
How metabolic health affects mental health
Metabolic health and mental health are connected at an intimate level. This is particularly true of eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia.
It would seem to be counterintuitive to say that the treatment of an eating disorder is to restrict what the person is eating. In reality, a metabolically healthy diet that is free of processed foods allows patients to heal their minds and bodies without the use of feeding tubes.
Personal and professional experience points toward significant improvements with eating disorders when the focus was on the quality of the food that was being consumed. There are several biochemical reasons for why that might be true.
Similar to all primary organs, the brain can utilize one of two fuel sources: glucose, which is derived from sugar, and ketones, which are derived from fat.
What we see in many mental health disorders are alterations in the brain’s ability to process glucose. When people eat the Standard American Diet, they are likely using glucose as their primary fuel source. Due to the hormones set up by this diet, they are unable to burn ketones effectively for fuel, which prevents the brain from functioning optimally.
Research suggests that the brain utilizes ketones better than glucose as a functional form of energy. When your brain and body are primarily working off ketones, or at least have the flexibility to switch between the two, mental health may be improved.
The spiking of blood sugar also affects mental health in another way. Many common disorders are correlated with the altered metabolism of glucose, especially depression. Improved metabolic health supports good clinical evidence for improvements with eating disorders and mental health concerns.
When we get metabolically healthy, we tend to rely more on ketones than glucose as an energy source. It’s a more sustainable form of energy, and far more efficient as well.
If you or someone you love is suffering from a mental health concern, it may be time to consider eating whole, real, unprocessed foods. Even eating preventatively has its benefits, as many people diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have marked increases in metabolic health factors.
How metabolic health affects addiction
Addiction is an issue that plagues millions of people. Estimates suggest that 21 million Americans suffer from some form of addiction, although this is likely underestimated.
The rise in addiction is obviously due to a number of factors. However, I strongly believe that improved metabolic health can have a positive impact on addiction.
Many practitioners have noticed that patients give up creature comforts as they work to improve their metabolic health, including substances such as alcohol. I describe it as a stabilization of mood that comes as an element of becoming metabolically healthy.
Drug abuse is not limited to illicit substances only. Addictive food issues are a concern for many, especially simple carbohydrates and sweets. The peaks and troughs of glucose spiking may be instigated by these addictive foods, particularly refined sugar.
Sugar has been shown to be more addictive than drugs. It lights up similar sections of the brain and stimulates a strong dopamine response. In animal studies, rats became more addicted to sugar than substances such as cocaine.
Many of my patients describe that addiction issues around food or sugar improve when they become metabolically healthy. Since I have eliminated processed foods and improved my own metabolic health, I’ve also found that addictive foods are no longer a problem.
There is an interesting connection here. With addictive substances, you need more and more of the same thing to get the same dopamine effect. Reducing or eliminating their use significantly reduces your need to have more. For example, cutting sugar makes your palate more sensitive to sweet flavors, allowing you to have less while enjoying the taste just as much.
This concept is similar to smoking, which requires increased nicotine levels to get the same calming effect. There will always be side effects when giving up smoking, primarily in the form of withdrawals. However, by removing the routine and substance from regular life, patients report better health and quality of life. Quitting smoking also leads to other metabolic enhancements, notably reduced inflammation, less hyper-coagulability, and lowered risks of heart disease.
As patients become metabolically healthy, they quickly begin to remember what ‘good’ is supposed to feel like. Eliminating certain foods or substances allows them to identify addictions in a more visceral way, moving forward with a healthier lifestyle as a result.
Leveraging metabolic health for holistic wellness
By improving your metabolic health and what you’re eating, you may be able to lessen the effects of addiction, mental illness, and other disorders in your life.
Eliminating sugar improves leptin and insulin levels, which then has a positive impact on mental health. Eliminating processed foods helps you to maintain a consistent blood sugar level, which may reduce addictive behaviors.
If you’re interested in learning more about how mental health and addictive behaviors could be affecting your metabolic health, feel free to schedule a 15-minute call. I’d be happy to outline a plan and discuss some suggestions that may help.