The Diet association with the Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder, also known as manic-depressive disorder, is a brain disorder which is characterized by abnormal mood episodes with highs and lows. These episodes can range from very mild to the extreme depending on their intensity and severity.

There is no specific diet for bipolar but some foods are strongly recommended to avoid if you have bipolar disorder as they can increase the severity of the mood episodes. Too much Caffeine consumption is one of them as they lead to insomnia (unable to sleep). During depressive episodes, caffeine may boost up your mood but in the long run, they disrupt sleep and cause nervousness and worsen high blood pressure.

In addition to the consumption of caffeine, high-fat meals including red meat, saturated fats, trans fats, and simple carbohydrates are also recommended to avoid. Earlier, the reason was considered as the difficulties and delay in the absorption of bipolar medication due to high-fat meals but does not cause any symptoms of the bipolar disorder. However recent advances in the research have shown that nitrates, chemicals used to cure meats such as beef jerky, salami, hot dogs and other processed meat snacks, may contribute to the manic episode. Mania is characterized by hyperactivity, euphoria, and insomnia.

It was found that people hospitalized for an episode of mania had more than three times the odds of having ever eaten nitrate-cured meats than people without a history of a serious psychiatric disorder. The researchers say that their new study adds to evidence that certain diets and potentially the amounts and types of bacteria in the gut may contribute to mania and other disorders that affect the brain.

During the course of time, numbers of genetic risk factors have been discovered that are associated with bipolar disorder and in other psychiatric conditions. However the evidence of the diet associated with the symptoms has increased the researches on environmental factors, such as diet, that may play a role.

This is a great area for the future works as the researches on this association could lead to dietary interventions to help reduce the risk of various manic and depressive episodes in those who have bipolar or other psychiatric disorders.