Many studies have shown that our diet affects physical health such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. However, up until recently, researchers haven’t explored the effects of diet on our mental health. A recent study that was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that diet is in fact associated with mental health.
This study out of the University of Melbourne in Australia compared those whose diet included mostly processed foods like fried foods, sugary products, and refined grains with people who ate a more healthy diet made up of fruits, salads, fish, beans, nuts, and yogurt. The study found that the group that ate mostly processed foods was approximately 50% more likely to have depression.
While this research shows that diet is associated with people’s mood, it’s difficult to discern whether your diet actually can change your mood or if your mood can change your diet. However, the researchers of this study claim that it’s possible that a healthy diet may improve your mood. They noted other studies that found that if someone had a poor quality diet, they were more likely to develop depression. Therefore, depression itself didn’t lead to a poorer diet. Further research is needed to determine just how much eating healthy foods can actually relieve feelings of depression.
These results are very important to learning more about depression and how to treat it. Many general practitioners will tell their patients that diet and exercise are imperative for a healthy body. But, the researchers in this study suggest that psychiatrists and other mental health clinicians should also recommend improving their patients’ diets. Eating healthier foods is better for us, overall. A healthy diet can make us feel better both physically and mentally.
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