Follow plant-rich diets to help prevent depression

A diet of fruits, vegetables, nuts, plant-based food and fish, typical of a traditional Mediterranean diet, could help lower depression risk, according to new research from UCL. The study, published today in Molecular Psychiatry , is a comprehensive, systematic overview of the current evidence regarding a link between the quality of people's diets and the risk of depression. The team of researchers from the UK, Spain and Australia analysed data from 41 studies including 20 longitudinal studies. "There is compelling evidence to show that there is a relationship between the quality of your diet and your mental health. This relationship goes beyond the effect of diet on your body size or other aspects of health that can in turn affect your mood," said lead author, Dr Camille Lassale (UCL Epidemiology and Public Health). "We aggregated results from a large number of studies and there is a clear pattern that following a healthier, plant-rich, anti-inflammatory diet can help in the prevention of depression." Of the 41 studies included in this overview, four specifically looked at the link between a traditional Mediterranean diet and depression over time in 36,556 adults. They found that participants from these longitudinal studies with greater adherence to a traditional Mediterranean diet had a 33% lower risk of developing depression than people whose diet least resembled a Mediterranean diet.