Diet And Depression

We know that eating aMediterranean diet can help reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke, and new evidence published this month suggests that it also may protect against depression. Researchers from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria studied more than 15,000 people who were following the recommendations of a Mediterranean-like diet for more than 8 years. None of the participants were depressed when they joined the study, and they were asked to score their adherence to the diets by rating meats and sweets negatively and nuts, fruits and vegetables positively. The researchers reported that the higher the score, the greater the adherence to a healthy diet. Over 8.5 years, 1,550 of the participants reported that they had been diagnosed with depression or had used antidepressant drugs. The researchers concluded that the greatest reduction in the risk of depression was linked to a diet called the“Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010”, which is similar to the Mediterranean Diet in that in emphasizes foods providingomega-3 fatty acids, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and a moderate alcohol intake. They wrote that even a moderate adherence to the diets was associated with a reduced risk of depression and that there was no additional benefit to high or very high adherence. The researchers said further studies are needed to identify what nutrients are protective, and which might contribute to depression.My take: This is an interesting study, which supports ...

Source: Dr. Weil's Daily Health Tips - October 20, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Dr. Weil Tags: Science and Supplement News anti-inflammatory diet depression mediterranean diet Source Type: blogs