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Jun 4, 2021 · Research indicates a link between diet quality and depression. Here are 8 foods that may worsen depression symptoms, and what to eat instead.
- Chantelle Pattemore
- Overview
- Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of nuts
- How diet plays a role in mood disorders
- Limitations of this study
- Expert tips for managing depression
•A new study shows eating a handful of nuts daily is linked to a 17% lower risk of depression.
•Nuts contain phytochemicals that could be associated with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which are linked to improved mental health.
•Numerous studies demonstrate the impact of diet on mood.
•Lifestyle changes to help a person manage depression include limiting alcohol intake, increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly.
Growing evidence demonstrates the impact of diet on mood. In fact, eating just 30 grams of nuts every day is associated with a 17% lower risk of depression, according to a recent study published in the journal Clinical Nutrition.
Researchers analyzed data from the UK Biobank, a database of health information from approximately half a million United Kingdom citizens. They examined data from more than 13,000 middle-aged and older people with an average age of 58 years between 2007 and 2020.
“Nuts provide a rich variety of bioavailable phytochemicals that might be associated with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities; which in turn has been associated with improved mental health,” Dr. Lokesh Shahani, assistant professor of psychiatry at UTHealth Houston, not involved in this study, told Medical News Today.
Additionally, “the anti-inflammatory (downregulation of proinflammatory cytokine expression) and antioxidant (neutralization of reactive oxidative species and enhancement of endogenous antioxidant defenses) effects associated with the nutritional composition of nuts could play an important role in reducing the risk of depression,” he added.
Nuts are rich in amino acids, which may benefit mood regulation. “These include arginine, glutamine, serine, and tryptophan, and lower levels of these amino acids have been associated with depression,” said Dr. Shahani.
“The metabolites produced along the tryptophan-kynurenine pathway — i.e., kynurenic acid as neuroprotective and quinolinic acid or 3-hydroxykynurenine as neurotoxic — are vital neurobiological mediators in depression,” he told us.
Nuts also contain antioxidants, including vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids.
Registered dietitian Natalie Rizzo, founder of sports nutrition blog Greenletes, not involved in the research, explained more about how nut-derived nutrients may influence brain health:
Numerous studies have found an association between a diet high in refined sugars and saturated fats and impaired cognitive function. In some cases, this type of diet can also worsen symptoms of mood disorders, including depression.
In one study, when comparing the Mediterranean diet to a typical Western diet, findings indicated the Mediterranean diet could reduce the risk of depression whereas the Western diet could increase the risk of depression.
“Scientists account for this difference because traditional diets like the Mediterranean diet tend to be high in vegetables, fruits, unprocessed grains, and fish and seafood, and to contain only modest amounts of lean meats and dairy,” said Dr. Shahani.
Rizzo agreed that foods that are associated with the Mediterranean diet are beneficial. And research confirms it.
However, it is important to note that “you can’t eat a certain food and expect it to increase your mood immediately,” said Rizzo.
“Most of these studies look at people’s diets over time and see how their moods change. Like most everything in the nutrition world, a well-balanced diet with plenty of plants is beneficial for a variety of things, including mood,” she emphasized.
Further research is needed to corroborate the findings of the current study. Dr. Shahani explained there are several limitations:
First, the study cohort is not representative of the general population, which could affect the magnitude, direction, and generalizability of the results.
Second, the high proportion of participants lost to follow-up could lead to selection bias. Third, nut consumption data were self-reported, and some degree of measurement error is expected.
Fourth, the highest nut consumption category only includes a few cases of depression. Therefore, the lack of associations may be due to limited statistical power.
Finally, this study assessed self-reported depression, which may affect the prevalence and incidence estimates.
“One limitation is that outside factors were not controlled, in which participants in the study only had one guideline- to eat 30 g of nuts,” said Dr. Avena. “Many other overall nutritional factors can attribute to overall mental well-being, and including nuts may have influenced the participants to eat healthier in general. Overall, including nuts in a healthy diet is a great thing to do anyway.”
Experts note that many different lifestyle changes can improve a person’s ability to handle depression.
Dr. Shahani said a few to highlight include smoking cessation, reduced alcohol consumption, increased intake of fruits and vegetables, increased physical activity, adequate sleep duration, and reduced loneliness.
“Information from the foods we eat is communicated to our brain and impacts our overall mental health,” Dr. Naidoo stated.
“More than 90% of the receptors for the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is responsible for mood and cognition, are located in the gut, highlighting just how powerful this food-mood connection is. Eating patterns high in healthy, wholesome foods are correlated with positive mental health while diets higher in processed, sugary foods are associated with symptoms of poor mental health, such as depression and anxiety.”
- Kaitlin Vogel
- Fruit Juice. The fiber in whole fruit fills you up and slows down how your blood takes in energy. Without that fiber, you’re just drinking nutritious sugar-water that can quickly hype you up -- and bring you down just as fast.
- Regular Soda. There's no win for you here: It has all of the blood-spiking sugar of fruit juice with none of the nutrition. Sugar-sweetened drinks like soda have a direct link to depression, too.
- Diet Soda. No sugar, so no problem, right? Not exactly. You may not have the energy crash that comes with having too much sugar, but diet soda may make you depressed.
- Toast. Wait, toast?! If it's made from white bread, yes. The highly processed white flour it's made from quickly turns to blood sugar after you eat it.
Aug 21, 2023 · According to new research, a serving of nuts (30 grams) per day is associated with a 17% reduced risk of depression. A small handful of nuts, or 30 grams of nuts, equals about: 20...
Low-to-moderate nut consumption (>0 to 1 serving of 30 g/day) was associated with a 17% lower risk of depression during a 5.3-year follow-up compared with no nut consumption in a large sample of middle-aged and older UK adults.
Aug 8, 2023 · The study, published in the journal Clinical Nutrition, found that eating about 30 grams of nuts every day can help lower the risk of depression in adults.
Sep 7, 2023 · Sarah Scott. New research suggests that eating one serving of nuts every day could lower your risk of depression. More research is needed for a nuanced understanding of how nut consumption impacts...
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