A poor diet may result in mood changes by affecting your brain's chemistry. Healthy foods contain substances that cross over from the bloodstream into the brain and regulate brain chemistry. A lack of those nutrients may play a role in depression. A healthy diet helps to avoid such symptoms of depression as chronic sadness, nervousness, anxiety and fear. However, people with depression need professional care that includes therapy and medication.
Deficiencies
Adequate amounts of folic acid and selenium in the diet may help protect you from depression. Deficiencies of the nutrients have been linked to depression, bad moods, anxiety and irritability. Folic acid deficiencies decrease serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin helps provide calming effects. Green vegetables, fruit and liver contain folic acid. A lack of selenium can also result in negative moods. Eating whole grain cereals, seafood, walnuts, Brazil nuts, beef, chicken and dairy products may restore selenium levels.
Lack of Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids, found in certain fish, nuts and nut oils, show promise for health improvements, including lowering cholesterol levels and reducing and the risk of heart disease and cancer. Symptoms of deficiencies in omega-3s include depression, mood swings, fatigue and poor memory. Studies on the effect of omega-3 fatty acids on depression are mixed, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports. Several studies reveal that depression patients who include omega-3 fatty acids with their antidepressants have improved symptoms. But other studies resulted in no benefits. Salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel, halibut, walnuts, flaxseed, soybeans and walnut, flaxseed and soybean oils contain omega-3s.
High-Fat Food
A high fat diet may increase your risk of depression. A study of 3,486 middle-aged people over a five-year period examined those who consumed a whole food diet consisting mostly of fruits, vegetables and fish, and people who regularly ate high fat and fried foods, processed meat and sugary foods. British and French researchers found those on the whole food diet had significantly lower risks of depression than those on the high fat diet, according to the "British Journal of Psychiatry."
Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet has become popular because of possible health benefits. The diet, which is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish, may also reduce the risk of depression. A study of 10,094 subjects in Spain found that those who followed the diet more closely had a greater reduction in the risk of depression than those who followed it the least. Researchers followed the subjects' dietary patterns and depression assessment results for more than four years, according to the "Archives of General Psychiatry."
References
- Middle Tennessee State University: Food, Mood and Neurotransmitters
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- "British Journal of Psychiatry"; Dietary Pattern and Depressive Symptoms in Middle Age; Tasnime N. Akbaraly, Ph.D., November 2009
- "Archives of General Psychiatry"; Association of the Mediterranean Dietary Pattern With the Incidence of Depression; Almudena Sánchez-Villegas, et al.; October 2009
