(24-07-10) Western diet promotes depression in women

by David Gutierrez, staff writer


Women who eat a typical Western diet high in junk food may increase their
risk of suffering from mood disorders such as depression, according to a study
conducted by researchers from the University of Melbourne and published in the
American Journal of Psychiatry.

Researchers gathered psychiatric evaluations of 925 women between the ages of
20 to 93 over the course of ten years, then compared them to data collected on
the participants' diets. They found that women who ate a diet high in white
bread, hamburgers, pizza, chips, beer, flavored dairy beverages and sugary
foods were 50 percent more likely to suffer from depression or anxiety than
women who did not eat such a diet.

In contrast, women who ate what the researchers classified as a traditional
Australian diet, high in vegetables, fruit, beef, lamb, fish and whole grains,
were 30 percent less likely to suffer from mood disorders than women who did
not follow the Australian diet.

The connections between the diets and the risk of mood disorders remained
strong even after researchers adjusted for potential confounding factors such
as education, age, socioeconomic status, weight, physical activity, and alcohol
and tobacco consumption.

Initially, the researchers found a lowered risk of mood disorders in women who
consumed large quantities of salads, fruits, fish, tofu, beans, nuts, yogurt
and red wine, but this association disappeared after they adjusted for
confounding factors.

Although cautioning that there is no such thing as a "magic diet," researcher
Felice Jacka noted that the evidence suggests that a healthy diet reduces your
risk of mood disorders as well as improving your physical health.

Another recent study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, found
that among 3,486 middle-aged women and men, those who ate a diet primarily
composed of vegetables, fruits and fish were significantly less likely to be
depressed than those who primarily ate refined ("white") grains, processed
meats, fried food, sweetened desserts and high-fat dairy products.

Sources for this story include: www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-... www.
naturalproductsmarketplace.com/....

Source: NaturalNews

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