“Anxiety and other mental illnesses are metabolic diseases as much as they are psychological. And, in our opinions, metabolic diseases deserve metabolic medicine. Nutrition is one form of metabolic medicine, and one which patients and clinicians interact with every day. It is important to leverage this metabolic tool to better offer persons suffering with anxiety a full spectrum of relief.”
2021 Researchers at Oxford & Massachusetts General
This page has links to resources and research I have found that relates to brain health and it’s impact on most of us. There is an emphasis on the microbiome, which regulates so many physiological roles in our body including the immune system. These functions, in turn, affect our brains. The beauty of studying the microbiome is that it is heavily influenced by diet. Diet is something we have some control over (depending on your finances)(results will vary). This gives us some power. Air quality and toxins also have a high impact on our brain health. I hope to develop another page devoted to that.
I’ll admit some of the research is over my head. If you find this is also the case for you, here’s a tip for reading medical journal articles: Read the opening paragraphs (called an abstract) and then scroll down to the “discussion”. These two sections will summarize the article for you. The body in-between is where the technical science is discussed.
(Updates 11/14/2025)
Nutrition as Metabolic Treatment for Anxiety (2021) “Nutrition regulates anxiety disorders by influencing the microbiome and inflammation. The gut microbiome and inflammation are interrelated and influence anxiety. By acting on the gut microbial ecosystem, regulating inflammation, as well as through other pathways mentioned in the text, particular nutritional strategies have been suggested to either harm or help disorders of anxiety. Sugar, processed vegetable oils rich in inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids, artificial sweeteners, and gluten have a negative effect on anxiety, whereas omega-3 fatty acids, turmeric (curcumin), vitamin D, and ketogenic diets are thought to have a therapeutic effect.”
The Microbiome
(Added 11/14/2025)
Gut dysbiosis in severe mental illness and chronic fatigue: a novel trans-diagnostic construct? A systematic review and meta-analysis (2021) “Gut dysbiosis biomarkers were increased in patients vs. controls and associated with more severe symptoms…patients, when compared to controls, had increased circulating levels of the tight-junction protein zonulin, the endotoxin LPS, the gut-related systemic inflammatory proteins LBP and sCD14, antibodies against endotoxins, and the acute phase protein A-1-AT….Zonulin is a tight-junction protein and key regulator of intestinal permeability, with increased circulating levels suggesting a compromised intestinal barrier. Our finding of increased levels of zonulin in patients vs. controls is in line with recent pathophysiological models of psychiatric disorders, where increased permeability of biological barriers, including the blood–brain barrier, is at play. According to these models, the loss of integrity of these protective layers (“leakiness”) would result in increased passage to the bloodstream and the brain of “unwanted” material, including “false” neurotransmitters, pro-inflammatory stimuli, and bacterial endotoxins (“endotoxemia”).” (More on Zonulin on my gut page)
Alzheimer’s Disease
Microbiota from Alzheimer’s patients induce deficits in cognition and hippocampal neurogenesis (2023) “Our findings reveal for the first time, that Alzheimer’s symptoms can be transferred to a healthy young organism via the gut microbiota, confirming a causal role of gut microbiota in Alzheimer’s disease”
Celiac Disease & ADHD
Association of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Celiac Disease: A Brief Report (2011) “Of the 67 patients with ADHD, 10 were positive for celiac disease… Celiac disease is markedly overrepresented among patients presenting with ADHD. A gluten-free diet significantly improved ADHD symptoms in patients with celiac disease in this study. The results further suggest that celiac disease should be included in the ADHD symptom checklist.”
The Association between ADHD and Celiac Disease in Children (2022) “This review highlighted the need to examine the subtypes of ADHD, specifically the inattentive type. There may be a behavioral phenotype of ADHD that responds to a gluten-free diet. This is consistent with earlier studies and supports the screening of ADHD patients for celiac disease.”
Celiac Disease & Mental Health
A Comprehensive Review of the Neurological Manifestations of Celiac Disease and Its Treatment (2022) “However, individuals can present in a nonclassical manner with only extraintestinal symptoms. The neurological manifestations of CD include ataxia, cognitive impairment, epilepsy, headache, and neuropathy. “
Psychiatric and Neurological Manifestations of Celiac Disease in Adults (2023) “CD has been linked to several psychiatric manifestations such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and mood disorders.”
Epilepsy
Epilepsy and the gut: Perpetrator or victim? (2022) “There is a strong interaction between the gut and the brain. This interaction forms the typical gut-brain axis. Consequently, gastrointestinal dysfunction can be seen in neurological disorders, and neurological dysfunction can be seen in gastrointestinal disorders. There is an increase in epilepsy incidence in various gastrointestinal diseases. On the other hand, epilepsy, in turn, affects the gastrointestinal tract in different forms, such as abdominal aura, epilepsy with abdominal pain, and the adverse effects of antiseizure medications on the gut and the gut microbiota. Various gut manipulations could help manage epilepsy…”
Insomnia
The gut microbiota-bile acid axis links the positive association between chronic insomnia and cardiometabolic diseases (2022) “In the present study, we demonstrated that chronic insomnia was significantly associated with the structure and composition of the gut microbiota and specific bile acids. The chronic insomnia inverse-related gut microbiota Ruminococcaceae UCG-002 and Ruminococcaceae UCG-003 were significantly inversely associated with CMD and related traits…Finally, habitual tea consumption was associated with higher levels of Ruminococcaceae UCG-002 …”
The Foggy Noggin' Diner 