• 25% of 16-24 year old Australians have mental illness with depression being most prevalent. 
• Almost half the Australian population (45.5%) is expected to suffer from mental illness at some point in their life. (Australian community survey 2007).

So this is a great leap for nutritional medicine. Published this month in The Lancet Psychiatry "Nutritional medicine as mainstream in psychiatry".

Research is mounting to support diet and nutrition as determinants and therapy for mental health.
 
"Evidence is steadily growing for the relation between dietary quality (and potential nutrient deficiencies) and mental health.

The emerging and compelling evidence for nutrition as a crucial factor in the high prevalence and incidence of mental disorders suggests that diet is as important to psychiatry as it is to cardiology, endocrinology and gastroenterology."


Click on the journal above to read the article.

Love this infographic! 

There is so so so much more to the way we use our food, "control" our weight and our overall health than the old simple Calories In = Calories Out.

I know I've said it before but I have seen many people with a nutritionally top notch diet, who exercise well, great sleep, low stress but still aren't reaching optimal health goals. Why..... so many reasons, toxic burden including copper overload, adrenal insufficiency, gut dysbiosis, inflammation resulting from food sensitivities or asymptomatic/symptomatic autoimmunity.

Many of us (I am the first to admit I am one) are "damaged" whether it be from following current recommended dietary guidelines or modern diet, lots of antibiotics, prescription medication, or even something as remote as our grandparents/great grandparents having an illness which has changed the balance and composition of the bugs in our gut. So whatever the reason it is realistic to expect the journey of healing to be exactly that - a journey. So much waffle exists around the eat less, exercise more and live happily ever after propaganda.

I say it over and over, we need to focus on stripping back to a diet removing inflammatory components (refined carbohydrates, sugars, high inflammatory "vegetable" oils and other foods which may be inflammatory to the individual), and looking to repair or support underlying isssues.

Research just published in Human Reproduction this week looked at girls and their age of menarche and the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. It showed girls between ages 9-17 years consuming as few as 1.5 serves per day of drinks such as fruit juice, soft drinks and ice tea were more likely to have an earlier menarche. 

"Researchers said a one-year decrease in age at menarche is estimated to increase the risk of breast cancer by 5%." (Medical Observer). The study didn't measure sugary drink consumption in early childhood which is thought to be an important window of exposure.

Click the journal above _