Tags : depression, diet
Mediterranean Diet Linked With Lower Depression Risk
Miami, FL (AHN) – Health experts have long touted the health benefits of following the so-called “Mediterranean diet,” but new research suggests it may also cut the risk of depression.
Researchers with the University of Navarra in Spain said in a statement that the lifetime prevalence of mental disorders is lower in Mediterranean countries than in northern European countries. Diet could be one of the main explanations, they said.
Previous research indicates that olive oil, with its monosaturated fatty acids, may be associated with a lower risk of severe depressive symptoms.
This latest study looked at the diets of 10,094 healthy Spanish participants. The people filled out an initial questionnaire between 1999 and 2005. After a follow-up after 4 years, the researchers found 480 new cases of depression.
Participants who followed the Mediterranean diet – one associated with heavy fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, fish and moderate alcohol use – had a more than 30 percent reduction in the risk of depression than those who did not closely follow the diet.
The study is published in the October issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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