Healthy food for depression
Some people think that depression is (partly) caused by deficiencies in nutrients, such as fish fatty acids or vitamin D. And that you can prevent depression by taking nutritional supplements. But is that true?
Dutch research from the Free University of Amsterdam now shows that these supplements do not protect against depression. Kudos to the Vrije Universiteit, because they have certainly tackled it thoroughly. Their study is called the MooDFOOD study and has more than 1000 participants across Europe. There were also test subjects from the Netherlands. The participants were around 47 years old and they were overweight. All participants had a high risk of depression, but were not yet depressed.
They were given a dietary supplement containing omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, folic acid, vitamin D and calcium for a year. As befits a good study, half of the participants were given a ‘fake supplement’, or a placebo. After one year, about 100 subjects suffered from depression. But that was just as common in the group that received the ‘real’ supplement as in the group that received the fake pills. The researchers conclude that supplements do not help to prevent depression.
Nutritional therapy
However, that is not all that was investigated. Part of the research group also received nutritional therapy: information and advice about healthy nutrition. Would that help prevent depression? No, neither. Again, no difference was found in the group that received nutritional therapy compared to the group that received no nutritional therapy.
Healthy food does work
Pills and nutrition education therefore do not work to prevent depression. Yet there is an effect of diet on mood and on depression. Because the MoodFOOD researchers found in another study that healthy eating does help to prevent depression. Losing weight also helps: in people who are seriously overweight, depressive symptoms decrease when they lose weight.
What to do?
Supplements like fish fatty acids, vitamin D and selenium are sometimes said to improve mood and prevent depression. These claims therefore appear to be unsubstantiated. But healthy eating and losing weight if you are overweight can actually help keep depression at bay. Choose a varied diet that is rich in vegetables, fruit, nuts, oily fish, whole grain products, dairy and legumes. So take good care of yourself, especially if you are prone to this condition of the mind.
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