Can Food Allergies Be The Cause Of Your Depression?

Millions of patients in the U.S. alone are on all sorts of medications for depression and anxiety. If you are such a person, have you ever thought of being tested for food allergies?

The question arises because although it has long been recognized in the scientific literature that food allergy can impact moods, mental states, and so on - hardly ever does a doctor prescribe a food allergy test for someone suffering from depression.

If your doctor has not done so, it may be advantageous for you to arrange one for yourself. Reputable food allergy tests can be found at many places online and they are not that expensive.

One of the earliest studies showing the relationship between food allergies and mood states was performed by Dr. Joseph Egger in the mid 1980's. The study took place at the University of Munich in Germany and involved thirty patients who had a history of anxiety and depression. The test was a double blind, placebo controlled test so that no patient was sure of what they were being given to eat at various times.

The patients were first tested for allergies. Once the test began, they were given either small quantities of foods that they were allergic to or placebos. But they never knew what they were being given. The outcome of the test was eye-opening to say the least.

The clear result showed that the allergens alone were able to induce feelings of depression and anxiety. And even though most of the foods that the people in the study were allergic to where wheat, milk, sugar, and eggs - the result would no doubt be similar to those who are allergic to other foods. The common term coined for these types of allergies are brain allergies.

Other studies since then have shown that many people are allergic to many of the preservatives that are put into modern processed foods. It doesn't take much of a leap to notice the startling increases in the number of people suffering from all sorts of mental problems to make the link between these problems and the food choices that we make.

In reality, even though it is easy to find out, very few people today have any idea of what foods they are allergic to. And, if you are suffering from any type of mental problems, your doctor or psychiatrist should ultimately be the person whom you listen to. But, you have to take some responsibility for your health as well. And a start would be to at least pinpoint your own food allergies to determine if going on an allergy free diet could also improve your mental health.