5 Tips to Avoid SAD in the Fall/Winter Months

1. Vitamin D – can be found in food sources such as fatty fish, liver and egg yolks. One of the easiest ways to get an optimal amount of vitamin D is from the sun. During the winter, the hours of daylight and the strength of the UV rays decrease significantly, making the task of getting adequate vitamin D from sun exposure alone very difficult. Supplementing with vitamin D can be beneficial. There are many vitamin D receptors on regions of the brain associated with depression. Vitamin D has typically been linked with calcium absorption, but increasing research is linking vitamin D to having a profound effect on gene activation, coding for neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.

2. Fish oil (EPA and DHA) – the brain is composed of approximately 60% fat. Fish oils contain omega 3’s in their active form whereas plant based omega three’s (Alpha-linolenic acid) require a conversion process to become EPA and DHA. Direct administration of these fatty acids has denoted positive results with mental health. These essential fatty acids (EFA’s) specifically act as messengers that initiate synthesis and neurotransmitter functioning. Lipids are also important in decreasing brain inflammation and to provide neural protection.

3. Probiotics – a whole host of research postulates the connection between the enteric microbiota in the intestine and the production of neurotransmitters, altering brain chemistry. A gut filled with good bacteria will produce more of these brain neurotransmitters. This will alter the signalling pathway through the gut – brain axis. A recent study conducted in early 2019, underwent a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. This is the gold standard for research. It compared populations that took probiotics and those that didn’t and were instead given a placebo. Results provided evidence that intake of probiotics did alleviate depressive symptoms.

4. Exercise/ Move your body – There is no doubt that people generally feel better when they exercise. We can confirm that exercise alters brain chemistry in more ways than one. Dopamine (sense of reward), norepinephrine (energy provoking), and serotonin (mood enhancer) are 3 neurotransmitters that are modulated by exercise.

5. Methylated B complex vitamins – Some B vitamins are required to convert various amino acids in the body to neurotransmitters that alter mood. The brain also under goes methylation quite often in the to activate different genes. Thus, methylated B vitamins can help facilitate this process.

References

Cryan , J. F., & O'Mahony, S. M. (2011). The microbiome‐gut‐brain axis: from bowel to behavior. Neurogastroenterology and Motility, 23(3), 187–192. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2982.2010.01664.x

Foster, J. A., Milev , R. V., Wallace , C. J. K., & Soares , C. N. (2019). The Effects of Probiotics on Symptoms of Depression: Protocol for a Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial. Neuropsychobiology, 13, 1–9. doi: doi: 10.1159/000496406

Ke , D. S., Chen , J. Y., & Chang , C. Y. (2009). Essential fatty acids and human brain. Acta Neurologica Taiwanica, 18(4), 231–241. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20329590

Konefal, J., Lewis , J. E., Tiozzo , E., Melillo , A. B., Leonard, S., Chen, L., … Woolger , J. M. (2013). The effect of methylated vitamin B complex on depressive and anxiety symptoms and quality of life in adults with depression. ISRN Psychiatry. doi: 10.1155/2013/621453

Lin, T. W., & Kuo, Y. M. (2013). Exercise benefits brain function: the monoamine connection. Brain sciences, 3(1), 39–53. doi:10.3390/brainsci3010039

Penckofer, S., Kouba, J., Byrn, M., & Estwing Ferrans, C. (2010). Vitamin D and depression: where is all the sunshine?. Issues in mental health nursing, 31(6), 385–393. doi:10.3109/01612840903437657