Can Diet Affect Depression?

Research keeps providing new reasons to eat a healthy diet. Now a study in the British Journal of Psychiatry reports that people who regularly consume fish, fruit, and vegetables reduce their chances of suffering from depression.

Scientist at London's University College looked at the diets of nearly 3,500 British civil servants and then assessed the individuals for symptoms of depression five years later. The research noted the "protective effect" of a whole-food diet. Conversely, they said a diet of processed meats, sweetened desserts, fried foods, refined cereals and high-fat dairy products "seems to be deleterious for depression".

The study pointed to an association between diet and depression, which doesn't mean that a bad diet causes depression. Still the results are intriguing. What might actually be providing the protection for mental health? The researchers raised several possibilities; Perhaps it is the antioxidants in fruits and vegetables, thought to protect cells from damages; the folic acid in leafy greens, which affects brain tissue; or the omega-3 fatty acids in fish, present in certain brain membranes. They also speculated that benefits might be cumulative.