Have you started taking, or are about to start taking, SSRIs for your anxiety, depression, or for a different mental health problem you may be struggling with? If the answer is yes, then there is no doubt that you’ve taken the time to do a bit of research on these medications. If you’re like most people, you will want to learn about the effects, as well as the side-effects, in an effort to understand what to expect when you start taking these drugs. Here is what to know about them.
Now, if you’ve been doing that research, chances are that you have come across some contradicting information. While people are generally happy with the effects of these medications, there are some occasional instances of patients reporting that they haven’t really been that effective. Or perhaps that they have experienced some side-effects that they didn’t expect.
This is completely normal, as I am sure you understand. After all, we are all different, and we will respond differently to any kinds of drugs we are taking. And then there is the question of finding the right SSRI for a specific person, which can take some experimenting, as well as getting the dosage right, all of which your doctor will understand, and thus be responsive to your reports of how you’re feeling after taking certain medications.
Yet, you cannot help but wonder if there is something else that could also be affecting the way these drugs work in our bodies. And, well, chances are that you have come across the concept of the food you are consuming having a significant impact on that. Better yet, you may have come across the idea of ultra processed foods having a negative impact on SSRIs, and you now want to get a better idea about that, and ultimately figure out how all of it works and why this connection is important. So, let us start telling you what you need to know here.
What You Are Eating Matters
First things first, you should definitely understand that what you are eating matters significantly. After all, the connection between your diet and brain chemistry is strong, and that is a fact that you have to keep in mind whenever you are wondering if there is something you can do for your mental health, apart from seeing a psychiatrist or a psychotherapist. Of course, I am not saying that you can heal yourself through a good diet, as that is not possible, and you still need the help of professionals. But, there is no doubt that what you are eating matters here, and has an impact on your overall mental health, as well as, naturally, the SSRIs you’ll be taking, as you’ll quickly see.
UPF Deprives Your Brain of Nutrients
Let us start with the basics here. Put simply, when you are eating a lot of ultra processed foods, that can lead to your brain being deprived of some important nutrients that it needs to function properly. After all, UPF is full of calories, but it doesn’t really have a good nutritive profile, so you’ll essentially be eating without giving your body, or your brain, what it needs. Such as certain minerals, vitamins, fatty acids, healthy fats and similar things. And, when you’re consuming too much UPF, and thus depriving your brain of those nutrients, the brain chemistry gets all disrupted, consequently also resulting in the SSRIs not working well.
It Also Disrupts the Gut Microbiome
Furthermore, we have to talk about the connection of the gut and the brain. These systems are constantly communicating, and, on top of that, around 95% of serotonin is actually produced in the gut, which is, as I am sure you understand, quite a huge percentage. I suppose you get already how important that is for SSRIs specifically, since they rely on serotonin production in order to then inhibit its reuptake and thus change the chemical balance in your brain.
But, what does this have with your diet? Well, to cut right to the chase, when you consume too much UPF, you are sure to disrupt the gut microbiome, which can then lower the production of serotonin. Thus affecting your mood, leading to irritability, promoting anxiety and depression, and, naturally, having a negative impact on the effectiveness of SSRIs.
Here’s how UPF is associated with depressive symptoms in general: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7770142/
It Reduces the Effects of SSRIs
Let me now sum up everything we have been talking about and let you know clearly how SSRIs and your diet are connected, and why, thus, avoiding UPF is a good idea when you’re taking them. In short, UPF can reduce the effects of SSRIs. It can prevent them from working properly, thus preventing you from getting the symptom relief you are after. So, reducing the intake of such foods is a good idea.
