Eating Poorly Can Make You Depressed

Eating Poorly Can Make You Depressed


Trans-Fats Increase Risk of "Blue" Moods, While Olive Oil Helps Avoid Risk of Depression

Researchers from the Spanish Universities of Navarra and Las Palmas Gran Canaria have demonstrated that the ingestion of trans-fats and saturated fats increase the risk of suffering depression; However, olive oil helps protect against this mental illness.

They have confirmed this after studying 12,059 SUN Project volunteers over the course of six years; the volunteers had their diet, lifestyle and ailments analyzed at the beginning of the project, over its course and at the end of the project. In this way the researchers confirmed that despite the fact that at the beginning of the study none of the volunteers suffered from depression, at the end of the study 657 new cases had been detected.

Of all these cases, the participants with an elevated consumption of trans-fats (defined as the fats present in artificial form in industrially-produced pastries and fast food, and naturally present in certain whole milk products) "presented up to a 48% increase in the risk of depression when they were compared to participants who did not consume these fats," explained the research team from Preventive Medicine at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

The study also demonstrated a dose-response relationship, "whereby the more trans-fats were consumed, the greater the harmful effect they produced in the volunteers," the experts affirmed.

In addition, the team also analyzed the influence of polyunsaturated fats (abundant in fish and vegetable oils) and of olive oil on the occurrence of depression. "In fact, we discovered that this type of healthier fats, together with olive oil, are associated with a lower risk of suffering depression," emphasized the researchers of the SUN Project.

Alarming Statistic: 150 Million Persons Are Depressed Worldwide...

The results of the study corroborate the hypothesis of a greater incidence of the disease in countries of the north of Europe compared to the countries of the south, where a Mediterranean dietary pattern prevails. Experts have noted that the incidence of the depression has increased in recent years. Today some 150 million persons are affected worldwide, where it is the principal cause of loss of years of life in those countries with a medium-to-high per capita income.

The researchers believe this is due "to radical changes in the sources of fats consumed in Western diets, where we have substituted certain types of beneficial fats, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated in nuts, vegetable oils and fish, for the saturated and trans-fats found in meats, butter and other products such as mass-produced pastries and fast food."

This important research is published in the online peer reviewed journal PLoS ONE. The study has been performed on a population with a low average intake of trans-fats, given that it made up only 0.4% of the total energy ingested by the volunteers. "Despite this, we observed an increase in the risk of suffering depression of nearly 50%. On this basis," they concluded "we derive the importance of taking this effect into account in countries like the United States, where the percentage of energy derived from these unhealthy foods is around 2.5%."

Finally, the analysis, headed by the University of Navarra and the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, suggests that both depression as well as cardiovascular disease are influenced in a similar manner by diet, and might share similar mechanisms in their origin. This hypothesis is further suggested by numerous studies that indicate the harmful effect of trans-fats and saturated fats on the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Story Source: Public Library of Science Journal Reference: Dietary Fat Intake and the Risk of Depression: The SUN Project
Editor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Article courtesy of Vitamin Power

Herbal Ingredients May Help Reduce Anxiety

Herbal Ingredients May Help Reduce Anxiety

Herbs, Plant Extracts & Botanicals Containing Specific Phytochemicals Beneficial For Helping
Support Cognitive and Mental Function
Herbal supplements such as passionflower and kava have good evidence to suggest their effects in reducing anxiety, according to a new review. The research, published in the Nutrition Journal concludes that "nutritional and herbal supplementation is an effective method for treating anxiety and anxiety-related conditions without the risk of serious side effects." the authors stated and further explained "several supplements have shown promise in the treatment of anxiety."

Common Mental Disorders
Depression and anxiety are two of the most common mental disorders, affecting nearly 55 million people in the United States alone, psychological disorders are reported to be of the most frequent conditions seen by clinicians, and often require a long term regimen of prescription medications.
The authors stated "the complexities of the central nervous system make diagnoses, treatment, and
amelioration of these debilitating illnesses exceptionally difficult."
"It is not surprising that there is universal interest in finding effective natural [anti-anxiety] treatments,"
added the researchers.
There have been reviews to assess the clinical effectiveness of herbal and nutrient, however the
authors noted that although these have reviews of such data, none have been conducted systematically.
The new research paper reviews 24 studies that investigated five different complementary therapies
and eight combination treatments.

Evidence of Efficacy
The 24 studies examined the effectiveness of passionflower, lysine, magnesium, kava and St John's wort, with most studies involving patients diagnosed with either an anxiety disorder or depression.
The researchers reported that 71 percent of the trials reviewed (15 out of 21) showed evidence supporting the efficacy of the supplement, adding that "any reported side effects were mild to moderate."
Three separate studies on passionflower were reported to show positive benefits, "providing good evidence of its effectiveness as an anxiolytic agent," according the researchers.
The authors noted the possibility that the reported positive effects could be due to a placebo effect, as such effects can have "significant psychological impact on participants with mental disorders."
However they concluded that based their review: "Strong evidence exists for the use of herbal supplements containing extracts of passionflower or kava... as treatments for anxiety symptoms and disorders."
The authors added that locating and quantifying the active ingredients in herbal substances could help to improve potency, and help to create "an undisputable body of evidence for their effectiveness"

Source: Nutrition Journal Published online "Nutritional and herbal supplements for anxiety and
anxiety related disorders: systematic review"

Article Courtesy of Vitamin Power