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The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Re: The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness

#151

Post by ehaliewicz2 »

Snoo7654 wrote: post #136
snapcaster wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you confuse saturated and unsaturated fat? Saturated fat isn't bad for you and unsaturated fats have some serious issues in how your body uses them. This comment feels like it was posted by someone in 1997

I think you might have them confused yourself. First result from google: "Saturated fats (including a type called trans fat) tend to stay solid and can cause fatty deposits in blood vessels, leading to atherosclerosis ("hardening of the arteries"). By contrast, unsaturated fats stay liquid at room temperature and are less likely to clog your arteries."

Nope, there are recent studies that dispute this. Of course, there are older studies that dispute those newer studies.

However, it is clear that dietary fat does not just directly go into your circulatory system.

Re: The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness

#152

Post by GuB-42 »

The introduction seems to be contradicting itself

> We found strong correlations between greater consumption of fat and protein to lower anxiety and depression

> greater fat and carbohydrate intake is directly associated with anxiety and depression

So? Is fat good or bad? (apparently, from the rest of the article, it is good)

Re: The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness

#153

Post by mattskr »

GuB-42 wrote: post #152

The introduction seems to be contradicting itself > We found strong correlations between greater consumption of fat and protein to lower anxiety and depression > greater fat and carbohydrate intake is directly associated with anxiety and depression So? Is fat good or bad? (apparently, from the rest of the article, it is good)

From what I gather, it means the combination of high fat, high protein and low carb leads to lower anxiety.

The combination of high fat, high carb and low protein leads to higher anxiety.

Re: The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness

#154

Post by Balooga »

wincy wrote: post #150
Balooga wrote: post #91

I lost about 70lbs in about 10 months by cutting out processed foods, cutting out foods with added sugar, eating foods having a low glycemic index, eating a lot of chicken, whole vegetables, whole fruit. And by not juicing, and not drinking smoothies. I also did a lot of strength training so as to lose fat and not muscle. I didn't try to reduce the amount of calories I was eating, just change where those calories wer…

I lost 80 pounds eating hot dogs and kimchi for about six months. No exercise at all. I don’t know what this means exactly only that people act like I’m crazy when I mention it.

Not crazy. Well done!

The thing with losing weight is that it doesn't differentiate between fat and muscle. So unless the body has a reason to keep the muscle around (the weight training) the body will absorb it (because of the calorie deficit).

The weight training helps limit the weight loss to the fat. This will also help to keep the body from looking like a deflated balloon when all that weight is lost.

Re: The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness

#155

Post by lcedp »

GuB-42 wrote: post #152

The introduction seems to be contradicting itself > We found strong correlations between greater consumption of fat and protein to lower anxiety and depression > greater fat and carbohydrate intake is directly associated with anxiety and depression So? Is fat good or bad? (apparently, from the rest of the article, it is good)

Perhaps, in the second sentence, they meant total calories. More fat with protein is good, more fat with carbs - bad. According to this paper. But, yes, the abstract section could be greatly improved.

Re: The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness

#156

Post by amanaplanacanal »

hombre_fatal wrote: post #84
amanaplanacanal wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As far as I can tell the best research is that saturated fat is pretty neutral. Earlier research blaming saturated fat was flawed.

There is a whole mountain of evidence that saturated fat increases LDL cholesterol and better markers like Apo B. Placebo controlled, double-blind interventions. You can even run the experiment on yourself with monthly blood panels. Are you contesting that? That's pretty settled science. Low-carb influencers don't even deny that, so they instead try to hand-wave that high LDL/ApoB aren't a problem. Usually with some…

You have tapped into a logical fallacy. A is associated with B. B is associated with C. This in no way indicates that A causes C. It just doesn’t. You have to show that A and C are associated, then you have to determine causation. You can’t skip steps.

I see this all the time in nutrition “science”, and it is just bad science.

Re: The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness

#157

Post by tulio_ribeiro »

I've read some studies that suggest that the gut microbiome can influence mood and behavior through the vagus nerve, which connects the gut and the brain. For example, this[1] study showed that mice fed with a probiotic bacteria had lower depressive and anxious behaviors than mice whose vagus nerve was cut. Another study[2] showed that oral treatment with antidepressants altered the gut microbiome and increased vagal activity in rats, and that blocking the vagus nerve abolished the antidepressive effects. These studies imply that the gut-brain axis is more complex than just diet and microbiome diversity. Maybe there are other factors that mediate the effects of fat, protein and carbohydrates on mood and mental health. What do you think?

[1] https://medium.com/microbial-instincts/how-gut-microbes-talk...

[2] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-50807-8

Re: The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness

#158

Post by hirvi74 »

hydrok9 wrote: post #111
hirvi74 wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For the 30 years I have walked this Earth, I have never been able to find a "healthy" way to manage stress. In fact, I have had such bad problems with stress that it basically assisted in the emergence and continuation of an autoimmune disorder. So, I am quite aware of the damage stress can cause. I have used plenty of unhealthy methods of managing stress, but the sad fact of the matter is that -- unlike yoga, warm b…

where does your stress primarily come from?

Not trying to create a pity-party or be all woeful, but to answer your question:

My source of stress is highly contextual, but fundamentally the common denominator would be a sense of insecurity.

I feel a sense of financial stress due to not being financially secure. I have taken proper measures to ensure I am on the proper path to financial security, but it seems like one job loss, one major medical emergency, major market crash, etc., is all it takes to wipe it all out. Not to mention all the rising costs of everything too.

I have occupational stresses (software engineer) due to my incompetence, lack of useful/meaningful skills, poor knowledge of fundamentals (my comp sci program was so poor that we almost lost our accreditation), etc.. I've basically been a junior developer for the last 7 years.

Couple all that with my various issues, and yeah, I live in a perpetual state of stress and anxiety which creates a not so wonderful negative-feedback loop.

I've tried therapy, psychiatry, etc., but any solution is like trying to put out a forest fire with a garden hose. So, when nothing else works, all I have left is escapism. Luckily, I do not have an issue with any hard substances.

However, one of my biggest crutches and forms of escapism are video games. The sad reality of why they are so appealing to me is that these games create a world that is more appealing than the current one I live. In the real world, I have no meaningful accomplishments, nothing to be proud of, etc.. In games, goals and objectives are clearly laid out, easily obtainable, and if I fail to achieve something I know that I am the sole reason -- not some variable out of my control (no office politics or BS).

I have a chance to not be below-average for once, and when I manage to accomplish something, it creates a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment that I cannot find in the "real world." When playing competitive games, my contributions actually matter, and if I do well, my teammates express a genuine sense of appreciation and gratitude. They relied on me, and I pulled my weight/extra-weight. It sometimes feels so good.

I know it is all just a false sense of well-being, for any sense of accomplishment I feel is quickly fleeting. At the end of the day, when I turn the games off, what am I left with? I didn't really accomplish anything tangible -- no real skills -- and in the real world, none of it matters one bit.

It seems that I have managed to lose the ability to put forth any effort in bettering myself, and I am just in some kind of going with motions and distracting myself anyway I can.

So yeah, sorry for my long ramblings, but it felt good to get it out.

Re: The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness

#159

Post by millimeterman »

snapcaster wrote: post #127
hombre_fatal wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Minimize saturated fat (by replacing it with unsaturated fat). Get enough protein. Eat healthy carbs*. * On HN and other social media, "carbs" is a euphemism for sugar and cake rather than beans and vegetables, so people will talk about how carbs made them fat when you know they're not talking about slamming back-to-back cans of garbanzos. And don't take any nutrition advice seriously that doesn't break fat apart int…

Did you confuse saturated and unsaturated fat? Saturated fat isn't bad for you and unsaturated fats have some serious issues in how your body uses them. This comment feels like it was posted by someone in 1997

The strong scientific consensus is that saturated fats are worse for you than unsaturated fats.

The idea that saturated fats are better than unsaturated fats is a small minority opinion. It's all the rage with wellness influencer types, but it is currently supported by far less evidence than the consensus.

Re: The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness

#160

Post by faizshah »

snapcaster wrote: post #124
throw8383833jj wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nutritionists will tell you what really matters is what type of fat/protein/carbohydrate. It's not one or the other. You need to eat plant based whole foods protein, fat and carbs too. For the most part, humans are carbohydrate processing machines (good carbs: like beans, whole grains, fruits, vegetables), these should be your staples.

I disagree with this advice. I think getting carbs as low as you're personally able to and maximizing fat + protein is going to be way more successful source: me, a guy who lost 50 pounds 5 years ago and hasn't regained it

That diet is good for weight loss it’s not good for overall health. Search on google scholar about “Whole food plant based diet” you will find many studies on this diet especially focusing on cardiovascular health improvements.

A good starter is the BROAD study: https://www.nature.com/articles/nutd20173

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