A study of thousands of twins suggests what your grandmother has been preaching all along. Eating more fruits and vegetables is associated with a lower risk of depressive symptoms.
Scientists led by a team from UNSW Sydney studied 3,483 twins from Australia, Denmark, Sweden and the United States, all over the age of 45, and found that their fruit and vegetable intake was linked to the severity of depression symptoms. I looked into how it compares.
In twin pairs, those who ate more of both fruits and vegetables tended to report fewer symptoms of depression, and the paper found that “Higher fruit and vegetable intake may protect against depressive symptoms.” It is concluded that there is a sex.
“The results of this study present a new argument for increasing fruit and vegetable intake in adults aged over 45,” said Dr Annabelle Mattison, lead study author and postdoctoral fellow at UNSW Sydney, in the paper. mentioned in. statement.
Please note that this relationship is correlational, not causation. In other words, although this study found an association between fruit and vegetable intake and certain aspects of depression, it cannot be determined whether dietary differences are directly responsible for the results. There wasn’t.
For example, twins who ate more vegetables may exercise more, drink less alcohol, and maintain an overall healthier lifestyle, all of which promote increased well-being. Possibly.
With caveats in mind, twin studies are fairly effective at mitigating other factors that can skew the results, such as genetics and upbringing.
“Pairs of twins share 50 to 100 percent of their genetic background and share the same family environment when raised together. One of the advantages of the twin design is that early in life, which influences outcomes, “We are able to address the issue of undesirable factors such as socio-economic status in the population,” added study co-author and research center leader Dr. Karen Mather. Healthy Brain Aging Genomics and Epigenomics Group.
There’s also little debate that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is good for your health, including your mental health.
Fruits and vegetables, rich in fiber, vitamins and micronutrients, may support the gut microbiome, protect the brain from oxidative damage, and may improve mental health. is clear.
“The importance of the gut microbiome and its potential impact on depression as a result of inflammation, both systemic and neuroinflammation, is becoming increasingly well understood,” Dr. Mattison explained.
However, not all vegetables are created equal. The study found no beneficial association between high potato intake and symptoms of depression. This may be because potatoes are often eaten in fried form, which is tasty (albeit not highly nutritious), but the researchers believe that “to understand the relationship between potato intake and depression, “further research is needed.”
Not surprisingly, another interesting insight from this study is that people in Europe, Australia, and North America aren’t eating enough fruits and vegetables. This is especially true in Scandinavia. Research shows that the average person eats less than half of the World Health Organization’s recommended minimum of five servings per day.
Will increasing intake to recommended levels lead to a reduction in depression? Mattison said it’s still “unknown,” but the research seems to point in that direction.
The research will be published in a journal Scientific report.
