Could healthier food be a natural antidepressant? – asume tech

By Elizabeth Heubeck
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, October 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) – Children have long heard the chorus: eat your vegetables to grow tall and strong. According to Australian researchers, a healthy diet can also make you happier.

This was the effect of having a healthier diet in a small study of young adults with poor diet and moderate to severe depression symptoms. Those who opted for healthier eating habits stated that within a few weeks they were less afraid and in a much better mood. This is evident from the results published in the magazine PLOS ONE on October 9th.

“There is undoubtedly evidence that a diet high in processed foods increases the risk of depression,” said study director Heather Francis, a neuropsychology lecturer at Macquarie University in Sydney.

The study included 76 students aged between 17 and 35 years. All reported a diet that was high in processed foods, sugars and saturated fats. They also reported feelings of sadness, decreased desire and lack of motivation in the previous week.

Half of the participants were trained to include fruits, vegetables, fish and olive oil in their diets and to reduce processed foods. They received $ 60 food and two check-in calls. The others did not receive coaching and continued their regular diets.

After three weeks, those who consistently ate better, reported much better moods. Their scores on a scale measuring depression levels were normal and they reported less anxiety than the regular diet group whose depression levels remained in the “middle to high,quot; range.

The conclusion? Modest changes brought big rewards. Nutritional change not only limited people’s food supply, but also limited processed foods such as sweets, fast foods and sugary drinks, as well as the increase in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish and olive oil.

“We believe that this is an important aspect of the study, that the associated change in diet is modest and achievable,” Francis explained, explaining what she thinks the change is boosting mood.

“Depression is associated with a chronic inflammatory response, and a poor diet increases both the systemic inflammation and the risk factor for depression,” she said.

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The results are consistent with a study published earlier this year in Physiological Reports by a team from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. It combined a low-sodium and low-potassium diet with teenage depression.

Lead author Sylvie Mrug, a professor and chair of the Department of Psychology, said adolescent emotion regulation is still evolving and it is possible that diet and other environmental factors have a strong impact on their level of depression.

While she found that many aspects of life are difficult to control, good eating habits should be promoted.

“Foods such as fruits, vegetables and yoghurt contain little sodium and lots of potassium and should be recommended as part of a teenager’s daily diet,” Mrug said in a news release from the University of Alabama.

Although the studies show a potentially positive impact of healthy eating on the symptoms of depression, the researchers cautioned caution.

“While nutrition may possibly improve outcomes, we do not recommend replacing medications at the present time,” said Francis, who wants to conduct larger studies on this topic.

WebMD News from HealthDay

sources

SOURCES: Heather Francis, Ph.D., Lecturer in Clinical Neuropsychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia; University of Alabama Press Release in Birmingham, August 26, 2019, PLOS ONE, October 9, 2019