In the mood for happy food

Flavour compounds that are structurally similar to mood-stabilising drugs are broadening the known range of mood-enhancing foods, which includes chocolate, teas and berries.

Evidence that some flavours resemble prescription mood stabilisers was presented at a recent American Chemical Society meeting. Mood-enhancing effects were reported with some natural flavours that bear a striking chemical similarity to valproic acid, a widely used prescription mood-stabilising drug. Sold under brand names that include Depakene, Depakote and Stavzor, valproic acid is used to smooth out the mood swings of people with manic-depressive disorder and related conditions.

“Molecules in chocolate, a variety of berries and foods containing omega-3 fatty acids have shown positive effects on mood. In turn, our studies show that some commonly used flavour components are structurally similar to valproic acid,” said Karina Martinez-Mayorga, PhD, leader of a research team that has been studying the effects of flavours on mood. She described research done while working at the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies and now is with the Chemistry Institute at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

“The large body of evidence that chemicals in chocolate, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, teas and certain foods could well be mood enhancers encourages the search for other mood modulators in food,” noted Martinez-Mayorga.

Martinez-Mayorga pointed out that the need for a broad spectrum of mood modulators is fostering research not just in the pharmaceutical industry, but in the food and beverage industries as well. Food industry research, however, focuses on less severe mood changes. People have recognised the mood-altering properties of various foods for years. Now Martinez-Mayorga’s team, and other research groups, is seeking to identify the chemical compounds that moderate mood swings, help maintain cognitive health, improve mental alertness and delay the onset of memory loss.

Her study involved use of techniques of chemoinformatics - the application of informatic methods to solve chemical problems - to screen the chemical structures of more than 1700 food flavour ingredients for similarities to approved antidepressants, marketed drugs and agents with reported antidepressant activity. The main result so far in the ongoing project involves valproic acid. In the future, she said that the team plans to move from the area of analysing the database to actually begin testing the flavour/mood hypothesis experimentally. The end result may be dietary recommendations or new nutritional supplements with beneficial mood effects, she added.

“It is important to remember that just eating foods that may improve mood is not a substitute for prescribed antidepressive drugs,” Martinez-Mayorga cautioned. And for people not requiring medication, she notes that eating specific foods and living a healthful lifestyle can generally boost mood.