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CA Notice at Collection Mediterranean diet, may actually help improve your mental healthy by fighting against the development of depression, according to research out of University College London.
In the meta-analysis, researchers crunched the numbers from 41 total studies on diet and depression. They found that adhering to a healthy diet—particularly a Mediterranean one, which focuses on foods like fruits, vegetables, and fish, while limiting unhealthy fats and processed meats—was linked to a lower risk of depression. In fact, when looking at the four studies that looked specifically at the Mediterranean diet, they concluded that those who followed it the closest were 33 percent less likely to develop depression than those who adhered to it the least.
Following the diet was linked to a lower likelihood of depressive symptoms, which can include depressed mood, feelings of worthlessness, significant weight change, fatigue, and thoughts of death, study author Camille Lassale, Ph.D., research associate at the University College London, told Bicycling.
Eating foods outside that diet—like those high in saturated fat and sugar—can influence your mental health by causing damage to the brain, said Lassale. They can cause things like oxidative stress (a harmful chemical process), insulin resistance, changes in blood flow, and inflammation.
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While Mediterranean diets showed the greatest protective effect, the researchers also discovered that other anti-inflammatory diets can be similarly beneficial in decreasing depressive symptoms.
Eating a diet that’s anti-inflammatory and high in antioxidants—think fruit, vegetables, nuts, fish, and wine (in moderation)—can protect the brain from oxidative stress and inflammation. Inflammation can also affect the neurotransmitters (the brain’s messenger molecules) responsible for regulating emotion, according to Lassale.
“We know that depression is often accompanied by change in appetite and eating behaviors,” said Lassale. “But the available evidence now really suggests that the relationship also goes the other direction, as people consuming a healthier diet tend to develop less depression.”
For now, work on adding more of the healthy stuff to your diet—there’s no downside to eating the good stuff—but if you feel symptoms of depression, like those listed above, that’s something to loop your doctor in about, too.
