Cutting 1 compound from processed foods could reduce brain fog, anxiety, and chronic pain, scientists say.

Kathleen Holton studies the link between diet and neurological changes, searching for strategies to use food in optimizing brain health.

Jeff Watts/Jeff Watts A dietary change may help relieve complex symptoms like brain fog and chronic pain, studies suggest.

Glutamate, a compound in processed foods, can overexcite nerve cells, causing damage in sensitive brains.

In new research, Gulf War veterans reported that cutting out glutamate relieved pain, PTSD, and more.

US Navy Chaplain Deb Mariya had been struggling with PTSD and fibromyalgia for decades, unable to find relief despite trying every treatment she could find, from medication to acupuncture.

Then a new diet changed her life, she told Business Insider.

Maryia said that she had developed escalating symptoms after deploying to Kuwait in 1991's Operation Desert Storm, amid black clouds of burning oil and debris-laden sandstorms.

In the more than 30 years since, persistent brain fog has prevented Maryia from thinking clearly.

An autoimmune condition attacked her bones and joints, leaving her in need of hip replacement surgery, but unable to heal properly afterward, causing life-threatening complications.

Then in 2024, Maryia enrolled in an experimental clinical trial for veterans.

The goal: to test whether cutting out a compound common in processed foods could alleviate symptoms of a mysterious condition known as Gulf War Illness.

The syndrome is a collection of neurological issues like joint problems, severe fatigue, and mood disturbances.

After living on a low-glutamate diet for a month, Mariya was scheduled for another surgery.

This time, she said, she healed rapidly and was walking within weeks.