Nutritional deficiencies, blood disorders, behaviour, mental health

[jah]

I've watched various videos by Stefan on drugs and addiction in which he talks convincingly about his theory regarding childhood abuse and how that predisposes them to addiction and other mental health and behavioural problems in later life.  I would actually like to propose the physical mechanism by which this occurs in general terms.

 

It will require a number of posts to expound my theory I think.  I have written various documents designed to explain the basis for my theory to a lay audience unfamiliar with nutritional deficiencies, haematology, genetics, neuroscience, etc.  However, these documents were intended for legal professionals and are probably not the best place to start so I hope what follows is not too convoluted to begin with.

 

Essentially, the theory revolves around the effects on physical health caused by deficiencies of various vitamins and minerals on a vital physical process known as methylation.  There is an interesting scientific paper which can give you an overview of the effects of various genetic polymorphisms involved in the methylation cycle and their possible relationships to various mental health and behavioural problems here: B vitamin polymorphisms and behavior: Evidence of associations with neurodevelopment, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and cognitive decline http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763414002048.  Hopefully, a quick perusal of this paper will convince you bear with me through what might otherwise be a fairly complex explanation.

 

The methylation cycle is the process by which the vitamins B9, or folate, and B12 are absorbed from our food and then converted into the active forms ready for use in the body.  Folate is essential for DNA synthesis and B12 is essential for building the myelin sheaths which surround our nerves to protect and insulate them.  A folate deficiency will mean that the body will have problems because it can't create new cells necessary to repair wear and tear, for new blood cells, the correct functioning of the immune system, neurotransmitters, etc.

 

A deficiency of B12 will eventually result in the breakdown of the myelin sheaths around the nerves, e.g. in pernicious anaemia this eventually results in sub-acute degeneration of the spinal column and is fatal.

 

Deficiencies of folate or B12 will result in enlarged red blood cells (RBCs), which can't absorb and carry oxygen around the body properly, known as macrocytic RBCs and will eventually lead to macrocytic anaemia.

 

A deficiency of iron will result in smaller RBCs containing no haemoglobin which are incapable of carrying oxygen, known as microcytic RBCs and will eventually lead to microcytic anaemia.

 

It is important to note that both types of anaemia can be present at the same time in a condition known as dimorphic anaemia, i.e. there are at least two distinct bodies of RBCs present at the same time, one or more macrocytic and one or more microcytic.  It is this type of anaemia in my view which not being properly diagnosed and treated.  It is possible to be anaemic or borderline anaemic with this condition and to have complete blood count (CBC) parameters in the normal range (the CBC is also known as full blood count (FBC) in the UK)..  If a doctor isn't alert to the tell-tale signs that there might be both macrocytosis and microcytosis present then this condition can persist for many years before a person becomes ill enough to display obvious symptoms and abnormal CBC parameters.  Unfortunately, I think it is the norm that doctors do not recognise this condition and the patient goes undiagnosed for years, developing more serious conditions from depression, addiction and behavioural problems to cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

 

It is the effects of these deficiencies on oxygen levels, neurotransmitter production, nutrient absorption, digestion, the immune system, aerobic respiration, the organs and glands which combine with a person's genetics to cause a wide range of health problems.

 

It is the fact that doctors simply do not recognise these problems, despite them being taught in undergraduate medical schools, which means that people develop behavioural and other health conditions from an early age.  It is difficult to believe that many people in the first world are actually suffering from malnutrition but it is true.  This fact is hidden from us because dimorphic anaemia goes undiagnosed and so figures for anaemia in the first world are extremely unreliable.  Rather than diagnose these simple and cheap to treat problems, people are instead being given drugs to treat symptoms which tend to make the problems worse rather than cure the underlying problems.

 

There are many scientific papers linking vitamin B12 deficiency to various mental disorders and a number linking iron deficiency with, for example, ADHD.  It is, in fact, the combination of folate, B12 and iron deficiencies in many cases which result in the conditions needed to cause neurological problems.

 

This is why there is no such thing as mental illness: so-called mental illness is the result of undiagnosed physical problems.  The brain doesn't live in splendid isolation apart from the rest of the body.  It is affected by the same physical diseases as the rest of the body.

 

I hope people will engage with me, ask questions and help me flesh out my explanation.  I'm sure I've missed some important facts which would help people to understand the above.  I'll think on it and get back to you with the next installment.

 

[Frederik]

Thank you very much for sharing! I find this very interesting since I have been experiencing extreme psychological changes based on an equally extreme change in diet in the past. I am also supplementing B12, and am concerned about nutritional deficiencies that I might have.

 

I may come back to you with questions.

 

You certainly seem to have put in an enormous amount of time into researching this topic and you seem very enthusiastic about it, which I appreciate.

 

Thanks again for sharing!

[rosencrantz]

A lack of B12 can cause mental problems. That is well established. But do all people with mental problems have a B12 deficiency? Can you point us to peer reviewed tests?

[jah]

Thank you very much for sharing! I find this very interesting since I have been experiencing extreme psychological changes based on an equally extreme change in diet in the past. I am also supplementing B12, and am concerned about nutritional deficiencies that I might have.

 

I may come back to you with questions.

 

You certainly seem to have put in an enormous amount of time into researching this topic and you seem very enthusiastic about it, which I appreciate.

 

Thanks again for sharing!

 

No problem.  I've been recovering for the last four or five years and have had to learn a lot about a wide range of issues in order to treat myself.

 

A lack of B12 can cause mental problems. That is well established. But do all people with mental problems have a B12 deficiency? Can you point us to peer reviewed tests?

 

It's not vitamin B12 deficiency on its own.  In fact, B12 deficiency is a symptom rather than a cause.  The real culprit as far as mental health goes is folate deficiency I think.  I'll go into more detail later but it's essentially to do with the methylation cycle and how it's possible to get stuck in the folate trap.  There is peer reviewed literature, I link to a paper above but the research area is still pretty new.

 

I'll write more later.