Depression, like many other chronic conditions, likely results from a complex interaction between genetics and environment. "Modifiable lifestyle factors such as dietary choices, smoking, and physical activity could potentially affect depression risk but do not act independently," says Chocano-Bedoya. However, at this point, there are so many different factors associated with depression it's not possible to tease out exactly how much a specific food or dietary pattern affects risk, she says. Similarly, a 2018 meta-analysis published in the European Journal of Nutrition suggested that high consumption of meat could be associated with risk of developing depression. "There is limited evidence regarding risk of depression associated with unhealthy dietary habits," she says.Ī 2014 study in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity that used data from the Nurses' Health study did find an association between depression and a diet rich in sugar-sweetened soft drinks, refined grains, and red meat, says Chocano-Bedoya. It's not yet possible to identify a single nutritional factor that increases or decreases the risk of depression, says Chocano-Bedoya, a senior epidemiologist at the University of Zurich. Hints of a linkīut conclusively linking your diet with your risk of depression is another story. Also, a 2011 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women who ate more vitamin D–rich foods had a lower risk of depression than women who got less vitamin D in their diets. This includes a 2005 study in the International Journal of Obesity, which found associations between obesity and depression and dietary factors. Research using data from large observational studies - like the Nurses' Health Study and the Women's Health Initiative, which included middle-aged to older and mostly postmenopausal women - has found links. But there have been hints that food may play a role in depression. "The research regarding dietary factors and depression is still inconclusive," says Patricia Chocano-Bedoya, a visiting scientist in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Or, to put it another way: can the things you eat influence your risk for depression - and can dietary changes potentially improve your mental health? But while stress eating is a verified phenomenon, the relationship between food and actual mood disorders, such as depression, is less clear. If you've ever found yourself in front of the TV after a bad day, mindlessly digging ice cream out of the container with a spoon, you know that mood and food are sometimes linked. Image: © ogichobanov © Foxys_forest_manufacture/Getty Images Here's what the research says about diet and depression.
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