15 January 2010

'Comfort Foods' Cause Depression

Could your unhealthy diet be the reason for your mood disorder? And maybe you were thinking that your 'comfort foods' were helping to make things better. Just the opposite may be true. Check this article out that details the findings in a recent study of the relationship of diet to mood. Is it really surprising that junk food produces junky emotions? It makes sense since we know the brain is the most metabolically active organ in the body and is effected first by any dietary deficiency.

Want to feel better about yourself and life in general?
Eat real food that is healthy and nourishing to
both the body and the mind.


Unhealthy diets could fuel female depression
By
Daily Mail Reporter


14th January 2010
Research found mood disorders were more common among women who ate high-fat and sugary foods
Women who suffer from depression may be fuelling it with a diet of unhealthy, processed foods, a new study has shown.
Researchers from the University of Melbourne found that mood disorders were more common among women aged 20 to 93 who, over 10 years, ate primarily processed, refined, high-fat foods.
'There's no magic diet,' Dr Felice Jacka said, but added eating a diet mainly of vegetables, fruit, whole grain foods, low fat dairy products, and lean meat, and reserving processed and sweet treats to 'sometimes foods,' will aid physical health and may also support mental well-being.
Jacka's team assessed diet and psychiatric evaluations gathered over 10 years from 1,046 women.
A total of 925 women were free of mood disorders, whereas 121 had depressive and/or anxiety disorders, the researchers reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
When they assessed how diet might relate to mood disorders, they found that a 'Western' diet - eating primarily hamburgers, white bread, pizza, chips, flavoured milk drinks, beer, and sugar-laden foods - was associated with more than a 50 percent greater likelihood for depressive disorders.
By contrast, both depression and anxiety disorders appeared about 30 percent less likely among women eating a more 'traditional' Australian diet - mostly of vegetables, fruit, beef, lamb, fish, and wholegrain foods.
These associations remained when the research team allowed for a variety of factors including age, body weight, social and economic status, education, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol drinking habits.
But similar 'adjusted' analyses in women mainly consuming fruits, salads, fish, tofu, beans, nuts, yogurt, and red wine showed no similar associations.
The researchers said the findings highlighted the need for additional investigations to determine whether unhealthy eating leads to declining mental health or vice versa.
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1243125/Unhealthy-diets-fuel-female-depression.html#ixzz0chj6IgQ3

No comments: