Could a big bowl of pasta Bolognese give you the blues? Researchers believe there is a link between pasta and depression.
Researchers analyzed the diets of 43,000 women over a 12 year period, they noticed participants that drank soda, regularly ate red meat, or consumed refined grains (such as pasta) every day were up to 49 percent more likely to be diagnosed with depression, Prevention reported.
The study, published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, also found women who ate or drank the above foods had higher instances of three biomarkers linked to inflammation. Inflammation helps the body fight disease and heals itself, but too much of it has been linked to diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and even cancer.
Study coauthor Michel Lucas, PhD, of the Harvard School of Public Health, found foods such as olive oil, coffee, wine, and a number of vegetables decreased inflammation when consumed on a daily basis. This could also mean a decrease in depression risk.
Another study analyzed 2,000 men and also found a link between diet and depression, a University of Eastern Finland news release reported.
"The study reinforces the hypothesis that a healthy diet has potential not only in the warding off of depression, but also in its prevention,"Anu Ruusunen, MSc, who presented the results in her doctoral thesis, said.
Ruusunen's study found folate-rich foods such as "vegetables, fruits, berries, whole-grains, poultry, fish and low-fat cheese" were the key to a lower risk of depression.
The study also found that coffee lowered the risk of experiencing symptoms of depression, but drinking tea and overall caffeine consumption was not linked to depression risk.
The team found regular consumption of "sausages, processed meats, sugar-containing desserts and snacks, sugary drinks, manufactured foods, French rolls and baked or processed potatoes," were linked to a higher risk of depression.
The study was published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.
