A new study has shown that simply adopting a healthy diet rich in fruit and vegetables, instead of processed meats, can help defeat depression.
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The study showed that the Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010 demonstrated the greatest ability of staving off depression, but the researchers thought that it’s because the diet is similar to the Mediterranean diet.
“These diets are all associated with physical health benefits and now we find that they could have a positive effect on our mental health”, Sanchez-Villegas added. Meat and candies were scored negatively, since they are a source of saturated and trans fats, while fruits, nuts, and veggies scored positively as sources of vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids.
For the study, the researchers chose to compare three dietary patterns that had previously been found to have inverse associations with mortality from different diseases, including cardiovascular disease and cancer.
At the beginning of the study, none of the 15,000 participants had clinical diagnoses of depression.
Which explains why a survey by the Food and Mood project, led by mental health charity Mind, revealed almost 90 per cent of people who took part in their study found that changing their diet significantly improved their mental health. In fact, her team had already explored the effect of the Mediterranean Diet on depression risk in previous work, findings that it had a “protective effect” while fast-food and fatty acids were found to be “detrimental”.
So scientists say common nutrients and food items such as omega-3 fatty acids, vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts and moderate alcohol intake present in both patterns could be responsible for cutting the risk of depression. Scoring systems were used by the participants to evaluate their adherence to the specified diets. It would seem that these students have high intake of nuts, legumes, vegetables and fruits, high amounts of fish and avoided processed products.
So, once the threshold is achieved, the reduced risk plateaus even if participants were stricter with their diets and eating more healthily.
“The noticeable difference occurs when participants start to follow a healthier diet”, says Sanchez-Villegas.
The nutritionist noted that even a moderate adherence to these three healthier dietary plans was associated with a decreased risk of developing depression.
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We have been hearing about the benefits of a Mediterranean diet for years. But one thing’s evident in their data, and that is people who do not follow any of the patterns have higher risk of depression, not just because of social factors but rather of the problem that arise from nutrient deficiency.
