Excessive fat consumption and stress are linked to an increased risk of depression and D’anxietyaccording to the results ofa study published in the medical journal Neuropharmacology. Researchers from Yale University (USA) explain why this happens and suggest a possible solution. Conclusions obtained in the laboratory on rats.
Researchers at Yale University decided to explore whether thefeed could influence the behavior of fed rats. They found that a high-fat diet will influence the behavior of rats: after 4 months of this diet, the mTORC pathway involved in both metabolism and synaptic plasticity is disrupted and the rats show signs of depression. and anxiety.
“The effects of a high-fat diet are similar to those caused by chronic stress,” says Ronald Duman, professor of psychiatry and neurobiology, lead author of the study.
The dual effect of ketamine
Yale scientists have also shown that injected in low doses, ketamine, also known as “Special K”, can quickly and significantly reduce symptoms of depression and high-fat diet anxiety in rats. “As shown a few years ago, ketamine also reduces depressive symptoms and suicidal urges within hours in patients resistant to conventional antidepressant treatments. More specifically, ketamine activates in certain brain regions a signaling pathway (mTORC1) that regulates the synthesis of proteins involved in the creation of synaptic connections that can be damaged by stress and depression.“explains Professor Ronald Duman.
While the results of this study are encouraging, Professor Ronald Duman points out that the effects of ketamine on metabolism need more research and that it is still necessary to find the appropriate dosage for depression.
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