Invited Presidential Session: Nutrition and Your Brain (Body too)

Dr. Naidoo: "Calm your Mind with Food" In my career as a C-L psychiatrist anxiety showed up in cases more ‎often than not. Whether related to a medical procedure, co-morbid medical conditions or something else, it ‎seemed we were often ordered medications to help anxiety. In terms of nutritional considerations in psychiatry, ‎a few micronutrients rise to the top in terms of having become so routinely considered that they are reflexively ‎ordered by most consultation-liaison psychiatrists as screening labs (B12, folate) or as empiric treatment (B1). ‎While important, this may overlook equally important and easily treatable micronutrient deficiencies such as ‎iron which is associated with anxiety, which can be used inpatient and outpatient.‎

Dr. Ramsey: Nutritional Psychiatry asks mental health clinicians to incorporate nutritional assessment and ‎guidance into clinical care. What is the evidence supporting Nutritional Psychiatry? Beginning with the SMILES ‎trial in 2017 and the recent 2022 AMMEND trial, several RCTS have explored the use of nutrition interventions in ‎the treatment of clinical depression. Building on the robust correlational data regarding dietary patterns and ‎mental health risk, and the public’s growing interest in nutrition, helping mental health patients make healthy ‎food choices is an increasingly evidence-based mental health intervention. Dr. Ramsey will review the evidence ‎along with basic recommendations for clinicians to get started.‎

Dr. Garza: Is social media where people should learn about nutrition and a healthy lifestyle? I’ll review some of ‎what is "out there" that our patients, and ourselves, "learn" from social media., including what might be of value ‎and might be dangerous.‎

Dr. Muskin: How does this stuff actually work? I will review what the science of epigenetics is revealing about ‎the mechanisms by which exercise, nutrition, and stress impact on our genome.‎

Dr. Naidoo will discuss how to build a healthy dish, ‎within anyone’s cooking skills along with the data supporting the value of the dish:‎
‎--How to Build a Salad
‎--The Anti-Anxiety Nutritional Psychiatry Plate
‎--Extra dark vegan chocolate to sample.