Kimberly Wilson, a psychologist and therapist, Holloway Prison Dr Wilson, who was once the head of Europe’s largest women’s prison, argues that improved nutrition is the key to mental health and brain function. Live Science published an interview with Dr Wilson about the relationship between nutrition and the brain.
“Improving nutrition reduces violence”: Kimberly Wilson, a psychologist at Europe’s largest women’s prison | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/health/mind/when-you-improve-nutrition-you-reduce-violence-psychologist-kimberley-wilson-on-working-in-europes-largest-women’s-prison
Wilson says she learned about the links between diet, mental health and behaviour while working as a therapist at Holloway Prison. She then set up a mental health clinic in London and How to develop a healthy brain: Reduce stress, anxiety, and depression and prepare your brain for the future.
The following is an excerpt, edited for clarity, from an interview with Wilson by Live Science, conducted by Sasha Pare.
Mr. Pare:
What first inspired you to focus on food?
Mr. Wilson:
My first job after qualifying was working for a charity providing therapy to prison inmates. At the time (2008-2013), women made up 6% of the UK prison population, but accounted for around 50% of cases of self-harm inside prisons. the study “A study was published that showed that when prisoners were given supplements containing vitamins, minerals and fatty acids to improve their nutritional status, violent behavior was significantly reduced compared to a control group. This was a special study to me. I was thinking about safety and harm in my work in prisons, and here was a high-quality, gold-standard study that demonstrated that a safe, accessible, low-cost, low-risk intervention could improve the health of not only prisoners but staff as well.”
Mr. Pare:
How did your colleagues and peers react to the new information? Have you made any nutritional improvements while working in prisons?
Mr. Wilson:
“I took this to administrators and medical directors to see if we could do small trials or provide supplements to the women most at risk, but there was no response. It’s really interesting that people don’t want to get involved in this issue. Subsequent studies in the US, UK, Holland and Singapore showed the same results: improved nutrition reduces violence.”
Mr. Pare:
Your colleagues weren’t convinced, but the data convinced you. A few years later you left prison service to set up shop in central London – what made you decide to incorporate nutrition into your practice?
Mr. Wilson:
I was doing my Masters in Nutrition, studying the role of nutrition in brain health and thinking about how a healthy brain improves mental health, so I started thinking about this issue with my clients and patients.
Mr. Pare:
Have you noticed an increased interest in lifestyle integrative therapy, like the type of practice you do, in recent years?
Mr. Wilson:
“There’s certainly more discussion about it, but also more skepticism. Is the brain somehow connected to the body? Does the quality or state of nutrition affect neurological symptoms and psychiatric states? I think reintegrating the brain and the body is really important for the future of mental health treatment and research.”
Mr. Pare:
Regarding the connection between the body and the brain, Gut-brain The axis of “brain and nutrition” immediately comes to mind, but has there been any recent research showing a connection between nutrition and the brain?
Mr. Wilson:
When we look at the research on maternal diet and children’s brain health, we see a clear link. For example: Iodine Deficiency During Pregnancy The leading cause of preventable brain injury in children is brain damage, which leads to lower IQ, and we know that high maternal intake of omega-3 fatty acids is associated with better brain development. Volume Better Neurons Connectivity In the case of babies.
From a broader dietary perspective, “ultra-processed” foods (processed foods high in sugar, salt and fat) are poor in nutritional value. Because the brain is the hungriest organ in the body, the question arises as to whether people who eat large amounts of ultra-processed foods are getting enough nutrients to keep their brains functioning. The answer is no. People who eat large amounts of ultra-processed foods: Depression and anxiety which accelerates cognitive decline.
Ultra-processed foods full of sugar and fat may have negative effects on health, learning and memory – GIGAZINE
Mr. Pare:
How do you communicate this information to your customers?
Mr. Wilson:
I’m just presenting the evidence: “There’s evidence that if you eat a few more vegetables and fruits, you’ll feel a little better. Why not give it a try?” Nutrition has a big impact on mood for some people and not for others. But it can’t hurt to try to get more nutrition in for a while.
The irony is that people want to be told what to do on social media, but I just say, ‘Here’s the information, use it however you like.’ It’s important that people have access to the information, but it’s not an obligation.
