Is oxidative stress related to depression?
March 15, 2021
Is oxidative stress related to depression?
In this article, we talk about the relationship between depression and oxidative stress.
Depression is a mental disorder that is currently under study and its causes are still unknown.
Symptoms often include insomnia, napping, poor concentration, and decreased thinking ability. It is also thought that depression is likely to lead to various other diseases.
Currently, various hypotheses are emerging as the research progresses. There are cases where mental stress is the cause from brain disorders or psychological approaches, and there are also cases where alcohol or drugs are the cause. However, since the cause is still unknown, various treatment methods such as medication, cognitive behavioral therapy, and exercise therapy are currently being used.
In fact, there is a hospital that treats depression. It is a famous hospital that improves depression through dietary guidance, and among the dietary guidance, they use “sugar restriction” to suppress oxidative stress caused by sugar. By suppressing oxidative stress, they have succeeded in lowering inflammatory substances and oxidative stress substances in the brain and improving depression.
Oxidative stress and depression
It is not known whether oxidative stress is elevated because of depression or other reasons.
However, there are people who find that their depression improves when they lower their oxidative stress by limiting their sugar intake. This suggests that there is a relationship between oxidative stress and depression.
Mental Stress and Oxidative Stress
“Social stress” is considered as one of the factors of depression. It is said that living a stressful life on a daily basis increases the possibility of depression.
If there is a relationship between depression and oxidative stress, does mental stress have anything to do with oxidative stress?
Actually, mental stress can increase oxidative stress. If you are under increased stress at work or at home, your oxidative stress will also rise.
Actually, just like the relationship between depression and oxidative stress, is oxidative stress elevated because mental stress is elevated? This is not understood yet.
However, it is clear that there is a relationship between oxidative stress and mental stress.
Although it is difficult to avoid daily stress in our lives, we should consider that increased oxidative stress leads to aging and diseases, and try to live a life that lowers oxidative stress as much as possible.
