Changing Your Diet Can Help Tamp Down Depression and Boost Mood, Study Finds (npr.org) 56
There's fresh evidence that eating a healthy diet, one that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables and limits highly processed foods, can help reduce symptoms of depression. NPR reports: A randomized controlled trial published in the journal PLOS ONE finds that symptoms of depression dropped significantly among a group of young adults after they followed a Mediterranean-style pattern of eating for three weeks. Participants saw their depression "score" fall from the "moderate" range down to the "normal" range, and they reported lower levels of anxiety and stress too. Alternatively, the depression scores among the control group of participants -- who didn't change their diets -- didn't budge. These participants continued to eat a diet higher in refined carbohydrates, processed foods and sugary foods and beverages. Their depression scores remained in the "moderate severity" range.
In this study, participants in the "healthy eating" arm of the study ate about six more servings of fruits and vegetables per week, compared with the control group. Participants "who had a greater increase in fruit and vegetable intake showed the greatest improvement in depression symptoms," Francis said. Participants were also instructed to increase consumption of whole grains to a recommended three servings per day, as well as three servings per day of protein from lean meats, poultry, eggs, tofu and beans. In addition, they were told to get three servings of fish per week. As for dairy, the recommendation was three servings per day, unsweetened. Participants were also instructed to consume three tablespoons of nuts and seeds per day, as well as two tablespoons of olive oil per day, and were advised to add in spices, including turmeric and cinnamon. Instead of relying on the participants' recollection of what they ate in the past, they used a device called a spectrophotometer to scan the participants' palms and detect what was eaten. "The device can detect the degree of yellowness in your skin, which correlates with your intake of carotenoids, which you get from eating fruits and vegetables," reports NPR.
The scientists also used several research questionnaires to evaluate participants' mental health, including one that asked them how often over the prior week they'd experienced symptoms of depression.
In this study, participants in the "healthy eating" arm of the study ate about six more servings of fruits and vegetables per week, compared with the control group. Participants "who had a greater increase in fruit and vegetable intake showed the greatest improvement in depression symptoms," Francis said. Participants were also instructed to increase consumption of whole grains to a recommended three servings per day, as well as three servings per day of protein from lean meats, poultry, eggs, tofu and beans. In addition, they were told to get three servings of fish per week. As for dairy, the recommendation was three servings per day, unsweetened. Participants were also instructed to consume three tablespoons of nuts and seeds per day, as well as two tablespoons of olive oil per day, and were advised to add in spices, including turmeric and cinnamon. Instead of relying on the participants' recollection of what they ate in the past, they used a device called a spectrophotometer to scan the participants' palms and detect what was eaten. "The device can detect the degree of yellowness in your skin, which correlates with your intake of carotenoids, which you get from eating fruits and vegetables," reports NPR.
The scientists also used several research questionnaires to evaluate participants' mental health, including one that asked them how often over the prior week they'd experienced symptoms of depression.
Question (Score:5, Funny)
Did they control for bacon intake?
Re:Question (Score:5, Insightful)
When my spouse get depressed, she eats chocolate.
I am not sure if it helps.
Here is an article that says chocolate cures depression [medicalnewstoday.com].
At least it tastes better than tofu.
Re:Question (Score:5, Funny)
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#11 on the list of how to spot an extraterrestrial.
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I think I saw an article showing that selling lots of articles helps depression in journalists.
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Did they control for bacon intake?
Anecdotally, I can say that my mood and temperament improved for the better when I started eating less junk food and processed meats like bacon. (and I love bacon). In my case though, that could be down to being a healthy size and weight and very active now... being healthy in general makes you feel better emotionally. I don't miss bacon too much anymore though- it helps that I live in America so don't really have much access to good bacon to miss anyway!
Anecdotally (Score:2, Funny)
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That means you need to eat ice cream with real fruit! DUH!
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or with real vegetables...
Broccoli and mint chocolate chip ice cream for the win!
maybe not!
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Remember though, kale is not a vegetable.
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Kale, broccoli, and cauliflower are all the same organism, yes? How can kale not be a vegetable?
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There has to be real strawberries in the toppings because the seeds that get stuck in my teeth piss me off!
Feel good about yourself (Score:5, Interesting)
Sure. If you are told that you are eating "healthy" and you somehow get through it. Then you "feel better" because you think you've achieved something.
It seems like a flawed study because its not a blind study.
Re:Feel good about yourself (Score:5, Interesting)
Personally, I think it's not too far fetched. We know that the microbiome in your stomach has got all sorts of effects on the rest of the body, with more processes like these being discovered every day. This research could be a cause to investigate further, and see if - for example - we can extract what (strain/family of) gut bacteria is exactly responsible for this process.
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Yes, it is near impossible to create a perfectly blind study.
What you can do is create a fake but plausible sounding control intervention. Like, meditating, taking placebos, following a fake diet etc. Something designed to make the participants feel equally good about themselves for presumably doing something healthy. Both groups should believe equally that they are the "active" group and not the control group.
People subjected to health improvement protocols tend to also do other changes to their lives such
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Re: Feel good about yourself (Score:1)
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Re:Feel good about yourself (Score:5, Informative)
Blind studies are the gold standard for most research, but not for nutrition because you simply can't do them. How are you supposed to hide from someone that he's gone from living on red meat and white bread to fish, beans and olive oil?
This doesn't mean nutrition is beyond the ability of science to study, it just means it takes longer to sort through the confounding factors. We also have to take individual studies that have positive findings with a grain of salt, because of the well-known positive-result publication bias. Put all that together, and it means it will be years, possibly decades, before we know the truth, unless we decide to spend a *lot* more than the roughly 1.9 billion we do annually on nutrition research, which would probably be a good idea. We spend 3.5 trillion annually on health care, and the only feasible way of reducing that drastically is to keep people healthier.
If this *does* stand up, I suspect the by now well-established anti-inflammatory effects of the Med diet will be implicated. Inflammation is a hot research area right now, and researchers are just beginning to scratch the surface of its neurological effects, but one thing is clear: it messes with a lot of stuff: serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine and glutamate. Pretty much everything involved with pleasure, reward seeking, arousal and motivation.
We're still at the stage of trying to validate common sense, which would tell you that if you eat healthier you'll feel better. It's possible that some of that may be the placebo effect, which is a reasonable target for further research, but given the extreme cost and complexity of a diet intervention research you can't fault a study for not answering all the questions you might reasonably have.
Yes, but... (Score:2)
GIGO (Score:2)
Garbage In Garbage Out, as the old saying goes.
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Maybe to some extent... if fresh fruit isn't a normal part of your diet then that alone should cause a change in your blood sugar.
As someone with hypoglycemia who controls it using diet and a blood sugar test kit I can say with certainty fresh fruit vs high fructose corn syrup in soda react differently in the body.
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Dude, you read my mind. Was scanning replies before I was going to say the exact same thing.
If you eat a typical shit American diet, and especially if you're fat, being put on what you're told is a nice clean healthy diet is going to feel good. In fact, put a morbidly obese group of people on a controlled 1200 calorie diet of even processed food and when they lose weight they will also tend to have decreased levels of depression, I would wager.
Not that a healthy diet can't indeed make you feel better, but I
Absolutely (Score:3, Funny)
They got it right and they got it wrong.
Charging you diet can boot mood are reduce depression. I switched from fruit, nuts, berries, and vegatables which was causing me to be severely unhappy and depressed to eating a 48 oz porterhouse steak and a baked potato with all the trimmings (including at least two slices of real bacon crumbled on the potato -- none of that dog snack fake bacon), and you know what? Absolute bliss! I feel better. I am no longer depressed. I look forward to mealtimes again.
What a change a little improvement in the diet can make!
Re: Absolutely (Score:4, Informative)
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I can provide a second datapoint in support of this theory. 48oz is only mildly happy, but I am still working up to the ol 96er.
I think you may have missed an important part of this meal however. Personally red wine, scotch whiskey or margaritas are required to fully max out the happiness, to the point where I am so happy I pass right out afterwards.
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:did they control for change itself? (Score:4, Interesting)
Change is one of the biggest thing I think for people that a mild to moderately depressed. Anecdotal but it seems like everyone I've met with depression and got out of it: when depressed they'd stay at home drink, play video games and watch tv all day. When they were "normal" also seemed to coincide with them getting a job, deciding to build a new shed, going camping, getting a girlfriend etc. something different than the same old thing they've been doing for months while depressed.
I realize its hard to separate cause and affect but part of it's got to be lifestyle. Same thing like going to the gym, you'll notice more fit and attractive people there, chicken and egg. Those there, are those that at least currently are choosing to be active, you keep going and you'll get fitter and will be one of the guys that the next batch of people look at and say "man this gyms full of meet heads maybe I don't fit in". You won't till you do.
this worked for me (Score:5, Interesting)
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Second this unreservedly. I started drinking more water (water at all in fact) and it made a huge difference. Then I increased my physical output (insert whatever you would like to do here) three or four days a week and it was literally the beginning of a new life. At 47 I didn't feel like I was going to make it another five years. Turn 50 soon and I'm in better condition than probably ever. And don't be all scientific on your own ass about it, just do some stuff. Consistently. It'll work.
For motivation fin
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a healthy body... (Score:3)
i think it were the ancient greeks who said - a healthy mind in a healthy body.
so it's been known for centuries, and easy to verify on yourself.
i eat fresh foods; lots of vegs & fruits, and i also do a lot of sports on a competitive level even.
if for some reason i don't have my training for several days in a row, i can clearly feel the changes in my mood.
Re: a healthy body... (Score:2)
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Haha, yeah super heath nut people can be annoying. But so can vegans that are into it for moral reasons, or sports nuts etc. I think at most if someone comes bitching to you about how things suck make a suggestion and leave it at that. I feel like crap? Ok lets go canoing next weekend or whatever. Not lets cut your diet by 700 cal a day, start weighing your carb intake, cardio 3 days a week weights 4, no less than 8hrs sleep a day etc etc. Make small changes see if it helps if so keep going if not try somet
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Interesting, that might certainly be part of it, the body is used to something that suddenly isn't happening anymore, could indeed make you feel different.
Sporters blues is a real thing, after every big event it's sure to hit you.
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i'm halfway my 40's, you think i talk like that? :|
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sad_ ventured:
i think it were the ancient greeks who said - a healthy mind in a healthy body.
It was the Roman satirist Juvenal who said (in Satire X [wikipedia.org]), "Mens sana in corpore sano."
The Graecophone Phoenetian philosopher Thales [wikipedia.org] is said to have written, "What man is happy? He who has a healthy body, a resourceful mind and a docile nature," which, while similar in spirit, is not at all the same quote ...
Correllation, not causation (Score:1)
Having a healthy diet will help you live longer.
Having a positive outlook on life lowers likelihood of stress and related illnesses, so happier people tend to live longer.
Ergo, having a healthy diet reduces depression? No, sorry. That's not how logic works.
Will any change in diet work? (Score:2)
The experiment didn't say if going from a healthy diet to an unhealthy one would also work for ending depression. I'm assuming yes, given that Halloween and Thanksgiving are just around the corner.
Motivation to change (Score:3)
Isn't this almost a survivor bias problem?
Changing diet and exercise habits is very difficult, especially in the existing food landscape and given a lot of modern life structures which limit time for obtaining good meals and performing exercise. I did low carb for about 2 years and it was kind of a pain in the ass because unless I brought food it wasn't always easy to find meal options that weren't heavily carb dominated.
This tells me people who did this were already highly motivated to invest in lifestyle changes.
Which kind of raises the question about how much harder this is for someone with depression to pull off, since presumably their drive and motivation is already below normal due to depression.
I don't doubt that good diets and exercise improve mood, but at the end of the day as "advice" this seems about as useful to a person with depression as "cheer up" and seems to strongly imply a lot of moral judgement for people who don't follow the advice -- it's your fault you're depressed, you didn't change your diet and get exercise.
Healthy Food is Reserved for The Rich (Score:1, Flamebait)
Re:Healthy Food is Reserved for The Rich (Score:4, Interesting)
It might be a step towards food being treated like a medicine though. Maybe instead of putting someone on $40 a week (no idea what they cost) of SSRI's a doc could proscribe a bunch of broccoli and a bag of carrots.
Ditto health insurance coverage, or how funding's moved around for benefits. Economics is always a trade off, maybe you have one less teachers aid but the students get breakfast, or health insurance drops support for chiropractor but adds coverage for a few visits to a nutritionist. In my experience docs prescribe pills because that's what they are in the business of and know about. It's also a lot easier to say: you need 2 of these a day than it is to say: hey your 50lb overweight and never leave the house, how about a 20min walk and a mixed greens salad every day?
A good doc will do that too, but when push comes to shove you'll probably leave with a prescription. It's probably rational for them too: you are probably more likely to take the pills they give you than you are to drastically change your behaviour. Behaviour is hard and its hard to monitor. Ask people what they eat and they won't be able to remember, or they won't admit to that 9pm bowl of icecream and potato chips. I don't get it I'm eating baked chicken breast and fish 6 out of 7 days and I'm still putting on 5000 cal worth of fat every week. (speaking from experience here I have 50 to lose). Meh, anyways more that docs get away from just looking at rashes and pushing pills and treat diet and exercise as part of the prescription the better, it'll lead to better funding for things that are preventative.
Re:Healthy Food is Reserved for The Rich (Score:4, Informative)
Nonsense. Healthy food is extremely inexpensive. Think carrots, not avocados, here. You can readily set up a healthy diet running maybe $120/month. Carrots, potatoes, milk, lentils, rice, and eggs might be a good start, that covers vitamin A, C, B vitamins, potassium, calcium, protein, carbs and oils. You can check the nutritional balance using a site like Cronometer.
If you can't afford $120/month, see if there are local food banks and free dinners (check with churches), and why don't you have SNAP (food stamp) benefits?
This only studies placebo effect. (Score:2)
I get lots of veggies (Score:3)
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In the interests of science, you should do a control as well - try the same thing but without the veggies, tonic, ice, and fruit. See if that still results in you being happy.
One study does not a theory prove (Score:1)
One study is interesting, but, never definitive. And the researchers do call for more studies.
Those would likely address many of the questions and concerns raised in this forum, and elsewhere
To reiterate points raised by others and add a new point or two:
-Is three weeks long enough to eliminate the "novelty" factor (new stimulus often creates short-term improvement for depression)?
- Was calorie consumption measured for both groups? Was there a measurable weight loss, a common side-effect of moving
The only cure for depression (Score:2)
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What on earth for? He already died for my sins so my true duty is to sin as much as possible so that he gets full value.
So will getting regular, vigorous exercise. (Score:2)
The average person is lazy about these things. They won't give up tasty foods for 'healthier' ones regardless of any benefits, and they won't get off the couch because exercise is unpleasant for them. They'd rather take a pill.