The relationship between mental illness and nutrition is complex and not well understood. Mental disorders involve biological, psychological and environmental factors. Biological aspects include genetics, medical issues and nutrition. Psychological issues are related to childhood conflicts, developmental stages and internal motivations. Environment, like biology, often includes nutrition and other external occurrences. Thus, understanding bipolar disorder and gluten examines biological and environmental aspects of the disorder.
What is Bipolar I Disorder?
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the DSM-IV-TR, describes bipolar I disorder as the presence of at least one manic or hypomanic episode. A manic episode consists of periods of grandiosity, decreased need for sleep, pressured speech, racing thoughts, excessive distractibility, increased spending or promiscuous behavior, and agitation. A true manic episode will have at least four of these components. Hypomania is defined as, literally, "little mania," and consists of the above behaviors but to a less extreme degree. Bipolar disorder may also include periods of depression, but this is not a requirement for the disorder.
The Role of Proteins in Mental Illness
Before exploring gluten intolerance and bipolar disorder, it is important to understand what gluten is and how proteins may play a role in mental illness. Gluten is defined as the storage protein found in such grains as wheat, barley and rye. Researchers are interested in how proteins in general affect mental illness. In 2010, doctors in Australia at the Mental Health Research Institute in Victoria looked at how proteins are related to mental illness and published their findings in the "Journal of Psychiatry Research." In exploring the way proteins interact at the cellular level in individuals with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, they found that there are alterations in presynaptic proteins that may lead to alterations in synaptic activity in both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Synaptic activity refers to the ways in which cells send messages throughout the brain and central nervous system. Given this data, the idea that gluten may play a role in bipolar disorder becomes viable.
Bipolar and Gluten
The role of gluten intolerance has been researched in schizophrenia to some extent, but not as much in bipolar disorder. In 2011, scientists in Baltimore investigated gluten intolerance in individuals with bipolar disorder by comparing the level of sensitivity to people who do not have any history of mental illness. The findings they published in a medical journal dedicated to bipolar disorder were that individuals with bipolar disorder have increased levels of IgG antibodies to gliadin, which is indicative of gluten intolerance. However, the results were not significant enough to be conclusive and the authors state that more research is needed.
Children With Gluten Sensitivity
Children with bipolar disorder present unique challenges in terms of diagnosis and treatment. Understanding nutritional issues in these pediatric patients may help with long-term care. Scientists at the Institute of Neurological Sciences in Catania, Italy studied a group of 835 children who tested positive for gluten sensitivity and published their findings in a 2008 issue of the "Journal of Pediatrics." They examined the group for neurological and psychological disorders and found that the prevalence of neurological and psychological illness in these children was low but slightly higher than that in the control group. As with adults, it seems that there may be some correlation between bipolar disorder and gluten intolerance, but more research is needed.
References
- "The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition"; American Psychiatric Association; 1994
- "Bipolar Disorder"; Markers of Gluten Sensitivity and Celiac Disease in Bipolar Disorder; Dickerson, F. et al.; January 2011
- "Journal of Psychiatry Research"; Region and Diagnosis-Specific Changes in Synaptic Proteins in Schizophrenia and Bipolar I Disorder; Gary, LJ et al.; January 2010
- "Journal of Pediatrics"; Low Prevalence of Neurologic and Psychiatric Manifestations in Children with Gluten Sensitivity; Ruggieri, M et al; February 2008
