A Mediterranean diet significantly reduces the risk of depression – at least in women. Increased fish consumption seems to be particularly important.
In a new study, an Italian research team from the Neuropsychology Lab/Centre for Cognitive Disorders and Dementia IRCCS examined the connection between a Mediterranean diet and depressive symptoms in older people. The results are published in the “British Journal of Nutrition”.
Depression widespread
Many people around the world develop depression at some point in their lives. In general, the frequency of depression increases with age. In addition, psychological and social factors play an important role in the risk of illness, but diet also has an influence that should not be underestimated.
For example, highly processed foods have been linked to an increased risk of depression in a previous study. In the current study, the researchers examined the extent to which the Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of depression on a total of 325 men and 473 women between the ages of 65 and 97.
Participants were asked to complete a food frequency questionnaire designed to determine adherence to a Mediterranean diet. Of all the participants, around 33 percent of men and 25 percent of women said they followed a Mediterranean diet.
In addition, the team used a special depression scale to record possible depressive symptoms. Participants who had a score of 16 or higher on this scale were classified as depressed by the researchers.
The data analysis showed that around 20 percent of the participants had depressive symptoms, with eight percent of men and almost 28 percent of women affected, the researchers report.
Mediterranean diet reduces risk
The Mediterranean diet significantly reduced the risk of depressive symptoms. According to the researchers, participants in the top third of adherence to a Mediterranean diet had an approximately 55 percent lower risk of depressive symptoms.
In the gender-specific analysis, however, the decline was only evident among women, not among men, according to the research team.
When looking at the individual components of a Mediterranean diet, fish consumption in particular was associated with a significantly reduced risk of depression. For every additional gram of fish consumed, the likelihood of depression in women decreased.
In summary, according to the researchers, a high level of adherence to the Mediterranean diet scale and a high fish consumption are associated with significantly fewer depressive symptoms in women, but not in men.
Studies confirm the effect
The current study results are also confirmed by an independent study from this year, the results of which can be read in the English-language journal “Nutrition and Health”.
A Mediterranean diet can therefore reduce stress, improve sleep and at the same time reduce the risk of depression.
Overall, the available research results suggest that a Mediterranean diet could also help alleviate depression, especially in women. Further studies are now required to verify this and identify the underlying biological mechanisms. (as)
