Elements Natural Medicine

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Depression Goes Beyond the Brain [new study]

🤓 Here’s a nerdy word for you:

👉Metabolomics 👈

Metabolomics studies a large number of small molecules and chemical messengers (metabolites) in the body.

It’s a comprehensive way to understand the combined effect of genetic & environmental influences on health 🧬🌿🔬

A new study used metabolomics to discover 2 key patterns associated with depression.


⚡ Energy metabolism was disturbed in depression.

🦠 The gut microbiome was altered in depression.

Even though this was a scientifically complicated study, the results support the way we work with clients in real life every day because:

🧠 Mental health is not separate from physical health 🍏

Whenever somebody struggles on an emotional level, one piece of the puzzle we always look into is their physical health—including gut health, mitochondrial function, metabolism, and more.


Reference

Amin N, Liu J, Bonnechere B, et al. Interplay of Metabolome and Gut Microbiome in Individuals With Major Depressive Disorder vs Control Individuals [published online ahead of print, 2023 Apr 19]. JAMA Psychiatry. 2023;e230685. [link]