BDNF: Your Natural Defence Against Depression
Four ways to increase BDNF — and change the way you feel
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BDNF — brain-derived neurotrophic factor — is not a drug, but its effect is very similar. You can’t buy it, but you can make it yourself. The manufacturing hub is your central nervous system, and like any well-run production line, it needs regular input of the best raw materials. The finished product is a substance that operates in and on your brain, to your advantage.
This protein is involved in the creation of new neurons and is crucial for their protection and survival. It also strengthens synapses (the structures between nerves, through which messages are transmitted), and helps form new synapses.
BDNF is also very much involved in maintaining a healthy good mood.
The World Health Organization predicts that by 2030, major depression may become the most common cause of disability and mortality worldwide.
One of the more surprising benefits of BDNF is its effect on depression, including major depression (MDD). Over 13% of American adults take antidepressants, and one of the ways these medications work is by raising BDNF levels “up to the normal value.”
The lower the BDNF level, the more severe the symptoms.
“BDNF is known to be lower in MDD, and has been negatively correlated with the severity of depressive symptoms”.
BDNF production is something that you can also increase through diet and lifestyle. Here are four evidence-based ways to help you do just that.
1 Eat the right proteins
“Patients with psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders often have reduced BDNF concentrations in their blood and brain.”
Like all proteins, BDNF is a structure built from amino acids. There are nine amino acids that are considered essential, meaning that they must be obtained directly from diet. Of those nine, there are three called the “branched-chain amino acids” (BCAAs). These are leucine, isoleucine, and valine.
The athletes and bodybuilders among you will be familiar with the BCAAs, as they are vital for building muscle. Less well known is how they help build good mental health.
BCAAs are especially important for the synthesis and activation of BDNF. Insufficient BCAAs are seen in patients with psychiatric disorders, including MDD and bipolar disorder. In a study where 71 in-patients with MDD were assessed and compared with 48 healthy controls, the patients with MDD were found to have “significantly decreased” BCAAs, compared to the controls.
“Our study results are strong evidence that in patients with major depression, BCAAs might be appropriate biomarkers for depression.”
Stress, as we all know, can trigger or aggravate depression. BDNF is involved in the stress-depression cycle, as seen in various rodent studies. Rodents resemble humans in many ways: like humans, BDNF expression is reduced in rodents when they are exposed to stress. But when given a high protein, high BCAA diet, brain BDNF expression is increased, along with resilience to the stressor.
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