More Fruits and Veggies Means Less Depression
If you are feeling blue, you may want to consider what's on your plate.
Researchers at the University of New South Wales in Australia analyzed the results of multiple studies conducted with twins and found a direct link between low fruit and vegetable intake and depression.
by Staff Reports
The food you eat not only has an effect on your physical body, it can also impact your mental state. Researchers at the University of New South Wales in Australia analyzed the results of multiple studies conducted with twins and found a direct link between low fruit and vegetable intake and depression.
Scientists from UNSW's Center for Healthy Brain Aging studied data from more than 3,400 twins over the age of 45 in Australia, Denmark, Sweden and the U.S. over a period of 11 years. The findings published in the journal Scientific Reports showed that higher intake of both fruits and vegetables were associated with lower symptoms of depression over time.
"The findings present another argument for increasing fruit and vegetable intake in adults over 45 years of age," said lead author Dr. Annabel Matison.
Researchers said depressive disorders contribute to disease burden in adults ranging from mild, which does not reach the threshold of clinical diagnosis, to severe. Those experiencing major depression generally have higher levels of pro-inflammatory and oxidative stress markers and lower antioxidant markers than healthy people.
Observational studies with twins are regarded highly because they can reduce some variables that can impact how participants may respond in a study.
"Twin pairs share 50–100% of their genetic background and, when raised together, share the same family environment," Dr. Karen Mather said. "One of the advantages of the twin design is that it can help address the issue of unwanted factors, such as socioeconomic status early in life, influencing the results."
Researchers considered low intake for vegetables to be 0.5 servings per day and 0.3 servings for fruit, while high intake was considered 2.0 servings for vegetables and 2.1 for fruit. But even the high threshold for this study is well below the dietary recommendations for most countries.
"We found that fruit and vegetable consumption in the two large Scandinavian studies were particularly low, with the average for both being less than half the World Health Organization recommended intake of at least 5 servings per day," said Dr. Matison. "We are unclear what the reduction in depression scores would be if intakes were increased to recommended levels."
The lower levels of depression with more fruit and vegetable intake is thought to be from the high levels of dietary fiber, as well as the micronutrients present in the foods. Both are important for gut and brain health.
"The importance of the gut microbiome and its potential influence on depression as a result of inflammation, both systemic and neuroinflammation, is becoming increasingly well understood," Dr. Matison added.