Carbs and Anxiety

When anxiety or panic attacks return after successful treatment with medication, there may be many causes, but few among us would suspect diet. A case of a woman who had received just such successful treatment and who, once she began a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet, began to have attacks was described in Psychosomatics' April 2006 issue.

The woman, who began The Atkins Diet, which is centered around high protein and low carbohydrate intake, began to experience increasing intensity of panic with all the classic symptoms. Attacks were sudden and lasted an average of 30-45 minutes. Suspecting that it may have been her diet, she returned to eating carbohydrates and all symptoms ceased shortly thereafter.

The authors of the case presentation indicated that such diets have been shown to be linked to mood change, fatigue, dizziness, headache, confusion, and sleep problems and all of this is documented in the professional literature. They suggest there may be a link between ketosis (fat metabolis)) and levels of serotonin in the brain. Carbohydrates have also been shown to play a role in serotonin levels by way of tryptophan, and this may explain the mood changes shown.

The thing that readers should take from this article is that diet can play a dramatic role in anxiety and, especially, mood disorders.

Related Topics: Build Your New Food Pyramid, The Whole Truth About Whole Grains

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