Depression is a serious medical problem that can make it difficult for you to go about your life in a normal manner. Many factors affect your risk for depression, including family history, recent stressful events and early childhood trauma. What you eat, or don't eat, may also make a difference in whether you suffer from depression.
Processed Food and Depression
Eating a diet that is high in processed food, including lots of sweets, refined grains, processed meats and high-fat dairy products may increase your risk for depression, according to a study published in the "British Journal of Psychiatry" in 2009. Study participants with diets high in processed foods were 58 percent more likely to develop depression compared to those who ate diets lowest in processed foods.
Mediterranean Diet and Depression
If you want to lower your risk for depression, consider following the Mediterranean diet. Eat a diet high in vegetables, fruits, legumes and nuts, with most of your fats coming from monounsaturated fats rather than saturated fats. A study published in the October 2009 issue of the "Archives of General Psychiatry" found that this type of diet decreases your risk for depression.
Micronutrients and Depression
Deficiencies of a number of vitamins and minerals can also increase your risk for depression. These include folate, vitamin B-12, vitamin B-6 and zinc. Getting the recommended dietary allowance of these vitamins and minerals may lower your risk for depression, and, for those with depression, making sure you have sufficient levels of these micronutrients may make your treatment more effective.
Considerations
For those who suffer from depression, simply taking vitamin or mineral supplements or cutting out processed foods and replacing them with whole foods will not treat depression. Although eating whole foods rich in vitamins and minerals is healthy and might help improve your overall health and how you feel, it is important to stick with the treatment for depression prescribed by your doctor as well.
References
- Mayo Clinic; Depression (Major Depression); Feb. 11, 2010
- "New York Times"; Nutrition: Lower Depression Risk Linked to Mediterranean Diet; Roni Caryn Rabin; Oct. 8, 2009
- BBC News; Depression Linked to Processed Food; Nov. 2, 2009
- "Polish Journal of Pharmacology"; Effect of Zinc Supplementation on Antidepressant Therapy in Unipolar Depression: A Preliminary Placebo-Controlled Study; Gabriel Nowak, et al.; 2003
- Mayo Clinic; Vitamin B-12 and Depression: Are They Related?; Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D.; Feb. 3, 2011
- "Journal of Clinical Psychiatry"; The Role of Folate in Depression and Dementia; D. Mischoulon, et al.; 2007
