Health Update: Inflammation, Not Serotonin Levels…Linked to Depression

RVAchironeuro • August 11, 2022

Hello again everyone:

Here is some interesting news about depression. The study below found the following data:

“The main areas of serotonin research provide no consistent evidence of there being an association between serotonin and depression, and no support for the hypothesis that depression is caused by lowered serotonin activity or concentrations. Some evidence was consistent with the possibility that long-term antidepressant use reduces serotonin concentration.”      https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0

So, if it is NOT serotonin, then what do you think has been found to correlate with depression? Well, if you know my area of research, then you know the answer is: inflammation. Please recall that almost all inflammation is related to, caused, aggravated, or perpetuated by the immune system. Here are some links to reveal the knowledge base about this critical topic:

“Depression represents the number one cause of disability worldwide and is often fatal. Inflammatory processes have been implicated in the pathophysiology of depression. It is now well established that dysregulation of both the innate and adaptive immune systems occur in depressed patients and hinder favorable prognosis, including antidepressant responses.”  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7381373/

We now know that depression is associated with a chronic, low-grade inflammatory response and activation of cell-mediated immunity, as well as activation of the compensatory anti-inflammatory reflex system. It is similarly accompanied by increased oxidative and nitrosative stress (O&NS), which contribute to neuroprogression in the disorder. The obvious question this poses is ‘what is the source of this chronic low-grade inflammation?’      https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1741-7015-11-200

Bottom Line: In depression, as well as anxiety and brain fog (any brain issue), to reach optimal improvement requires finding and reducing or controlling all sources and drivers of inflammation. The last paper has a partial list:

“This review explores the role of inflammation and oxidative and nitrosative stress as possible mediators of known environmental risk factors in depression and discusses potential implications of these findings. A range of factors appear to increase the risk for the development of depression and seem to be associated with systemic inflammation; these include psychosocial stressors, poor diet, physical inactivity, obesity (insulin resistance), smoking (air pollution along with altered oxygen status such as anemia), altered gut permeability, atopy (allergies), dental cares (includes any latent infection such as mono or Lyme etc.), sleep and vitamin D deficiency. (One could also look at Omega-3’s, all B vitamins, Probiotics, and Magnesium)

  The identification of known sources of inflammation provides support for inflammation as a mediating pathway to both risk and neuro-progression in depression. Critically, most of these factors are plastic (modifiable), and potentially amenable to therapeutic and preventative interventions. Most, but not all, of the above-mentioned sources of inflammation may play a role in other psychiatric disorders, such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism, and post-traumatic stress disorder.”

The best way to check out all these health issues and reduce or improve or get rid of them, is through a thorough functional neurologic and functional medicine evaluation in association with primary care providers treating mental health patients. In my opinion, when it comes to depression, we should not limit care to only medications, or only nutrition or exercise, but all tools should be appropriately evaluated and applied as needed. When the brain is inflamed it simply does not work right, and depression can be a symptom. Note that in the first quotation listed above that the efficacy of anti-depressants is less in those that are inflamed…a strong key to how important it is to identify and reduce inflammation sources. Finally, the last quotation and reference below summarizes how nutritional therapeutics should be important adjunctive care in depression and other mental health issues. It may also be that some anti-depressant meds have an anti-inflammatory effect that will be elucidated in future studies. And please note: if you are taking any prescriptions for depression, do not stop them without clearance and a schedule to wean off of them slowly with the prescribing physicians assistance.

“In summary, nutrition and nutraceuticals should now be considered as mainstream elements of psychiatric practice, with research, education, policy, and health promotion reflecting this new paradigm.”

 

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Health News Update: Pesticides, Cancer & Why Go Organic

By Mark Smith • June 29, 2026
Health News Update: Pesticides, Cancer & Why Go Organic 6.29.26 Hello everyone: Slowly but surely, despite the health and food industries downplaying the risks, evidence is emerging that the long-term consumption of trace amounts of toxic chemicals can add up to some serious health consequences. “Our process-based model, encompassing 31 key pesticide active ingredients, together with an innovative stratification of cancer cases by developmental lineage, reveals a robust spatial association between environmental pesticide exposure risk and cancer incidence. In pesticide-associated cancer hotspots, exposomic profiling of liver tissue—a primary target of chemical carcinogens—uncovers a distinct transcriptomic signature of pesticide exposure, implicating a non-genotoxic mode of action that disrupts core regulatory circuitries sustaining cell identity. Collectively, these findings strongly support a mechanistic link between pesticide exposure and cancer, challenging assumptions of human non-carcinogenicity derived from reductionist experimental models. This study redefines the exposome as a lineage-conditioned, mechanistically tractable framework and shows how complex pesticide mixtures can contribute to carcinogenic trajectories, with profound and far-reaching implications for global health policy and socio-ecological equity.” https://www.nature.com/articles/s44360-026-00087-0 pesticide exposure & cancer risks Bottom Line: Whenever possible, purchase your food from organic sources including local farmers that use regenerative and organic practices. Not all foods need to be organic, and to decide which ones absolutely need to be, you can access the Environmental Working Group’s yearly list of the Dirty Dozen foods that are the highest in pesticide residues. This will also include the Clean 15 foods that do not need to be organic as they are usually grown without or with very low pesticide levels. https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php dirty dozen food guide Additionally, high quality nutrients support the natural detox processes our bodies use to get rid of any and all toxins. When we consume the Standard American Diet or Westernized Diet, we are low in the nutrients and co-factors needed to support optimal detox cleansing. So always start with food upgrades as they will carry your upgrade the farthest. Remember that most chronic health conditions start 20 years before you even notice them creeping up or becoming diagnosed. What you do now is creating your future. It used to be said that you are what you eat. Another way to say that is we become what we eat…so please take good care and make sure you always put high grade fuel into your Temple.

Health news Update: High Fat Diets Promote Inflammation and Illness

By Mark Smith • June 22, 2026
Health news Update: High Fat Diets Promote Inflammation and Illness 6.22.26 Hello again: This news has been slow to surface with the popularity of keto and paleo dietary trends, but the following information is what is known about the typical Standard American Diet, also known as the Western Diet. “Conclusion : HFD-associated low-grade inflammation results from overlapping effects of dysbiosis and high fat intake, with crosstalk between microbiota and fat-driven inflammatory processes independent of gut flora involving multiple mechanisms. For this reason, it is difficult to determine what occurs first, thus, HFD-driven dysbiosis and HFD-related inflammation should be considered partially independent but closely correlated mechanisms.” https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8619527/ High fat promotes inflammation Bottom Line: As you all know by now, inflammation will cause, perpetuate, and/or aggravate every known illness or condition, including aging. The next logical question is what to eat? The answer is the Green Mediterranean food plan…which essentially going vegan but allowing some animal-based foods no more than 3 times per week. This takes some planning but is most easily achieved by using a ‘crowding out’ method. This is simply accomplished by including more and more unprocessed, whole plant-based foods in place of processed or fatty foods and naturally reducing those less than healthy items. Below is some more information to help you make the switch…knowing that you can improve your day-to-day nutrition by making small consistent upgraded choices is critical. Upgrades to improve your health path do not usually arise from one big resolution but from those small individual choices made every day…and these add up to some major improvements over several months and longer. “The gut microbiota is responsible for recovering energy from food, providing hosts with vitamins, and providing a barrier function against exogenous pathogens. In addition, it is involved in maintaining the integrity of the intestinal epithelial barrier, crucial for the functional maturation of the gut immune system. The Western diet (WD)—an unhealthy diet with high consumption of fats—can be broadly characterized by overeating, frequent snacking, and a prolonged postprandial state. The term WD is commonly known and intuitively understood. However, the strict digital expression of nutrient ratios is not precisely defined. Based on the US data for 1908–1989, the calory intake available from fats increased from 32% to 45%. Besides the metabolic aspects (hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, sympathetic nervous system and renin-angiotensin system overstimulation, and oxidative stress), the consequences of excessive fat consumption (high-fat diet—HFD) comprise dysbiosis, gut barrier dysfunction, increased intestinal permeability, and leakage of toxic bacterial metabolites into the circulation. These can strongly contribute to the development of low-grade systemic inflammation.”

Health News Update: Meal Timing Makes a Significant Difference

By Mark Smith • June 15, 2026
Health News Update: Meal Timing Makes a Significant Difference 6.15.26 Hey there everyone: There are more and more papers coming out about meal timing and they pretty much all point to the same conclusion: “These study results are observational, so not proof of causation, but it fits broader chrononutrition science showing that aligning meals with daytime circadian biology supports metabolic and overall health.” — Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/eating-breakfast-late-linked-biological-aging-depression-oral-health?utm_source=Sailthru%20Email&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=sundaysupplement&utm_content=2025-09-14&apid=32362300&rvid=24561ae4b347411c6ae1874dad579a0aedec4a5e471e9b3b5a21dc0826faa6b9#Eating-breakfast-later-in-the-day-linked-to-several-health-issues eating breakfast important for long term health Bottom Line: To achieve a meal timing pattern that is in harmony with your circadian clock, consider what the authors provided: Anchor the Day Early: Aim to eat breakfast within one to two hours of waking, most days. A simple pattern like breakfast: 7–8 a.m., lunch: noon–1 p.m., dinner: 5–7 p.m. works for many families and individuals, allowing for possible snacks as necessary, keeping a consistent window of sleep and fasting open ~10–12 hours, and try to avoid snacking two to three hours before bed. Front-Load Protein: Target ~25–30 g protein at breakfast (e.g., Greek yogurt + nuts + berries ; eggs + beans + veg; protein-fortified oatmeal ). Distributing protein across meals supports muscle function, brain health, satiation, and numerous other functions. Eat Early and Evenly: A protein-strong breakfast, a steady midday meal, and a light, timely dinner, hydration in between, coupled with laughter and loved ones. This schedule pretty much is defined as eTRF, or early Time Restricted Feeding, which is known to have multiple benefits including weight loss and management, blood sugar balancing, improving sleep, and more.
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