A Mediterranean diet may help prevent depression says new research.
Eating plenty of fruit, vegetables, nuts, plant-based food and fish may cut the risk of developing the condition by around a third, according to a study. This in contrast to eating junk food, which increases your risk of becoming depressed.
Published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, the findings have come from an analysis by researchers from Britain, Spain and Australia who examined 41 previous studies on the links between diet and depression.
“A pro-inflammatory diet can induce systemic inflammation, and this can directly increase the risk for depression,” said Dr Camille Lassale, the study’s lead author. Bad diet heightens the risk of depression to a significant extent, she added.
“There is a robust association between both higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet and lower adherence to a pro-inflammatory diet and a lower risk of depression,” the researchers write in the journal article.
Inflammation is part of the body’s immune response and can increase with emotional states like stress, as well as diet – with fatty, sugary foods and excessive alcohol being key culprits.
Fruit and vegetables, legumes and nuts all tend to be higher in fibre, vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidant dense polyphenols which can reduce inflammation.
The results mean “there are now strong arguments” for diet to be considered as part of the treatment of mental health, co-author Tasnime Akbaraly said.
She added: “Our study findings support routine dietary counselling as part of a doctor’s office visit, especially with mental health practitioners.
“This is of importance at a patient’s level, but also at public health level, especially in a context where poor diet is now recognised to be the leading cause of early death across middle and high-income countries and at the same time mental disorders as the leading cause of disability.”
