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Recent experiments showcase that the overconsumption of processed food and meats can adversely affect one’s psychological well being, probing the possibility of causing manic depression (R) in the individual. It is believed that it is the excess presence of nitrate in these foods is what is causing the problem.
Manic depression, otherwise commonly known as Mania is a behavioural condition which is characterized by a state of hyperactivity, sometimes euphoria and insomnia as well.
The researchers were ignited with this sudden thought of researching the effect of processed and canned food when it came to their notion that majority of the people hospitalized for manic depression have been tested positive to have eaten a good chunk of nitrate-processed meat in comparison to other healthy individuals.
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University conducted their research (R) on lab rats where they administered them a diet filled with nitrate compounds. Noticeably, the rats were found to show signs of hyperactivity just after a few weeks of being fed with that diet.
According to the progress of the experiment, it is believed that the diet and certain consumption of a few variants of compounds exceptionally could be the contributing factor to the hyperactivity brought along with Mania and several other brain related ailments.
A scientist from the Johns Hopkin University, Dr Robert Yolken professed his vision stating that this initial research can be a breakthrough in testing out the potential association between the dietary aspect in order to combat the signs and symptoms of manic episodes that could infest in a patient suffering from bipolar disorders (R) or other forms of manic depression.
Mania is a condition that is often seen in patients suffering from either bipolar disorder or signs of schizoaffective disorder. While many people might forego the problem as mistaking it as something like that of hyperactivity like that of sugar rush, it does have severe impacts on one’s mental health and that too degrading ones.
While the link between the consumption of nitrates and manic depression was not done before, scientist Dr Yolken was the one who deduced the possibility of link between the two and went on to initiate a research concerning the subject.
Since nitrates have had prior history of having negative impacts in the body’s nervous degeneration, and because of its cancer causing abilities, it was under high scrutiny under the done experiment to figure out its impact on one’s psychological well being, especially for the people suffering from mania.
The rats involved in the experiment were fed with a nitrate rich diet and then their gut microbiota was analysed. It was found that the gut bacteria pattern in the rats with nitrate in their diet was different than what you would expect in the normal healthy rats.
Dr Yolken and his team even witnessed an impactful difference in the molecular pathways in the brain, much like what one would experience and witness in patients suffering from bipolar disorder.
Concluding all of these findings from the recent research (R), Dr Yolken emphasized on the fact that the same doesn’t necessarily inflict the proper conclusion that the consumption of processed meat is the primary causative agent with manic depression or other related mental health issues. These findings help establish a possible link between the possibility of the nitrate-processed meat being a possible trigger for mania.
