history at a glance
- Researchers from Aston University in the UK found that how often people eat fruit each week is more important than the total weekly amount.
- The more often the participants ate fruit, the lower they scored for symptoms of depression.
- They found no direct link between eating more vegetables and mental health.
Eating fruit more often may prevent symptoms of depression and improve overall mental well-being, a new study suggests.
The study, published in the British Journal of Medicine, surveyed 428 adults from across the UK to measure the link between certain aspects of a person’s diet and their mental health.
Researchers from Aston University in the UK found that how often people eat fruit each week is more important than the total weekly amount. And the more often the participants ate fruit, the lower they scored for symptoms of depression.
But they didn’t find a direct link between eating more vegetables and mental health.
In addition, they concluded that people who eat more tasty foods that are low in nutrients are more likely to report higher levels of anxiety and experience “daily mental lapses.”
However, the team found no link between these memory lapses and fruit and vegetable consumption.
“Very little is known about how diet can affect mental health and well-being, and although we didn’t directly examine causality here, our findings might suggest that frequent eating of salty, nutrient-poor foods may increase everyday mental lapses, which in turn reduces psychological health. ”, lead author Nicola-Jayne Tuck said in a press release.
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Tuck said the team’s research adds to previous studies, which didn’t assess the impact of fruits and vegetables on mental health separately.
“Both fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, fiber, and essential micronutrients that promote optimal brain function, but these nutrients can be lost during cooking,” Tuck continued. “As we are more likely to eat raw fruit, this could potentially explain its greater influence on our psychological health.”
“It’s possible that changing what we eat is a really simple and easy way to improve our mental well-being,” Tuck said.
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Posted on July 15, 2022
