Could depression be linked to diet? This is the question that the research team from James Cook University (Australia), led by Professors Zoltan Sarnyai and Robyn McDermot, tried to answer. To do this, the researchers asked questions about the diet of the inhabitants of two islands in the Torres Strait. Fast food was available on one, while the other, more isolated, did not have fast food.
In total, a hundred people from the archipelago were interviewed. “We asked them questions about their diet, examined their level of depression and took blood samplesdescribes Dr. Maximus Berger, lead author of the study. As expected, residents of the more isolated island, lacking fast food outlets, reported higher seafood consumption and lower take-out food consumption than the other. Isle. »
Of the nineteen people who presented moderate to severe depressive symptoms, sixteen were from the island with a fast food restaurant. The results, published on the platform Taylor & Francis Online last August, showed that the consumption of processed foods was associated with an increased risk of depression, compared to the consumption of fish. “People with major depressive symptoms were both younger and consumed more take-out food”explains Dr. Berger.
n-6 PUFA and n-3 LCPUFA
Blood samples also showed differences in the levels of two fatty acids in the bodies of people living on the two islands. n-6 PUFA linked to depression, and n-3 LCPUFA which helps fight it. Unsurprisingly, n-6 PUFA, found in many prepared meals, was higher among islanders with fast food outlets. In parallel, the LCPUFA, present in seafood, was more important in the citizens of the other island.
In fact, Western diets are said to contain too much n-6 PUFA and a relative lack of n-3 PUFA. “In countries with a traditional diet, the n-6 to n-3 ratio is 1:1, in industrialized countries it is 20:1”, says the author of the study. Nevertheless, he states: “Depression is complex, it is also linked to social and environmental factors, so there will be no silver bullet, but our data suggest that a diet high in n-3 LCPUFA provided by fruit seafood and low in n-6 PUFAs as found in many takeaway meals may be beneficial”.
With the data available, Professor Sarnyai nevertheless believes that it is premature to conclude that a diet could have a lasting impact on the risk of depression. However, scientists confirm the impact of fatty acids in depression. Previous research had, for example, identified the use of omega-3s as an engaging avenue for combating this disease.
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