Eating well really makes you happier! A comparison of anti-depression foods, these are the most recommended →

In today's fast-paced urban life and increasingly competitive environment, many people are experiencing depression or even depression.

When people feel unhappy and tired, they prefer to eat high-sugar, high-calorie and high-fat foods such as French fries and cakes. If you only do this occasionally, then it’s not a big problem, but you must not develop a habit or dependence, because long-term intake of fried foods is significantly associated with anxiety and depression symptoms, which will increase the risk of both.

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So, can diet really affect depression symptoms? When you have negative emotions such as depression and sadness, what should you eat to relieve them?

Today, let’s talk about diet and depression.

Food can really improve

Are you feeling depressed and anxious?

In 2019, scholars from several universities in the UK and Australia jointly published the first meta-analysis proving that diet can be effective for mental health. The study selected 16 high-quality randomized controlled clinical studies using diet as an intervention, involving 45,826 subjects. The final analysis results of the study showed that diet can significantly improve symptoms of depression.

On November 20, 2018, researchers from Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK published a study online in the international journal Clinical Nutrition. The researchers conducted a systematic literature search and finally included 11 studies, including 101,950 baseline participants (age range: 16-72 years old), who met the review criteria. Compared with anti-inflammatory diets, pro-inflammatory diets are closely associated with an increased risk of depression diagnosis or symptoms.

In addition, there are a large number of studies that confirm that diet/food can affect our emotions. The consensus conclusions of these studies are:

① Long-term adoption of a diet that includes plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, nuts, fish, shrimp and seafood (and less red meat and sweets) is very helpful in preventing and improving depressive symptoms [1-2].

② High-fat diets, high-sugar diets, and highly processed foods (such as various refined desserts) can significantly affect the composition of intestinal flora, thereby affecting mental health [3-5].

However, we need to note that although numerous studies have shown that the association between dietary factors and depressive symptoms has been widely evaluated, none of them has been rated as high-quality evidence due to the lack of sufficient in-depth research on the mechanisms.

What are the ingredients in food?

Helping us fight depression?

Through the above research, we understand that food choice may have a certain auxiliary effect on the treatment and prevention of brain diseases. Eating some corresponding foods can also play a certain role in improving depression.

So, what ingredients in food play a key role?

1

Dietary fiber

As mentioned earlier, dietary fiber can provide food for intestinal flora, which is important for improving mood and resisting depression. Specifically, some intestinal flora can produce short-chain fatty acids by decomposing and fermenting dietary fiber. Short-chain fatty acids are the key signal substances that regulate the synthesis of serotonin. When short-chain fatty acids are sufficient, the synthesis of serotonin increases, and people will feel happy.

Vegetables, fruits, whole grains and nuts are all good sources of dietary fiber.

2

B vitamins

Vitamin B1 and B12 are closely related to human mental health. Vitamin B1 is related to various activities of the nervous system. When the level of vitamin B1 in the body is low, it may lead to memory loss, lack of concentration, low mood, depression, etc.

Previous studies have found that vitamin B12 deficiency may increase people's likelihood of developing depressive symptoms.

Vitamin B1 is widely found in many kinds of coarse grains, while vitamin B12 is mainly found in animal foods such as meat and eggs. Some fermented foods, such as fermented soy products such as fermented black beans and natto, also contain some vitamin B12.

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3

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is not only essential for bone health, but also affects serotonin levels, so when it is insufficient, it can also affect people's mental health.

Vitamin D is partly synthesized through sunlight, but considering that most people today do not get enough sunlight and the vitamin D content in daily foods is generally very low, it is recommended that everyone meet their needs through dietary supplements.

4

n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (such as DHA and EPA)

Studies have found that for patients with severe, recurrent depression, supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as DHA and EPA, can reduce the risk of relapse of depression[6]. However, recent studies have also shown that for people with depressive symptoms or a history of depression, supplementation with DHA and EPA has no effect and may even aggravate depressive symptoms[7]. Although the conclusions are not consistent, for those who do not often eat seafood, appropriate supplementation with DHA and EPA still has other benefits.

In addition, nutrients such as folic acid, iron, magnesium, potassium, selenium, and zinc have also been found to be associated with the prevention and treatment of depressive symptoms.

Anti-depression food list

After talking about so many nutrients that help improve and prevent depression symptoms, it is better to directly compile a list of anti-depression foods for everyone to use.

Eating foods that help prevent and improve depression

①Fresh, dark-colored fruits and vegetables

Dark-colored vegetables and fruits such as green, orange, purple and red are not only rich in dietary fiber, but also contain a large amount of antioxidants, which are very helpful in improving depression.

②Fish, shrimp and seafood

Fish, shrimp and shellfish are low in fat and rich in high-quality protein, as well as rich in unsaturated fatty acids. In addition to possibly improving symptoms of depression, they also have many other health advantages.

③Whole grains and coarse grains

Whole grains and coarse grains such as brown rice, oats, millet, black rice, miscellaneous beans, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, potatoes, and taro are not only important sources of dietary fiber and B vitamins, but also help maintain stable blood sugar and improve serotonin levels.

④ Milk

Dairy foods such as milk, cheese, and yogurt not only provide sufficient high-quality protein and calcium, but are also one of the rare food sources of vitamin D. At the same time, fermented dairy products such as yogurt and cheese can also provide certain probiotics.

⑤ Nuts

Nuts can provide rich dietary fiber, and some nuts, such as walnuts, also contain a certain amount of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

From the list above, we can see that we still need to eat vegetables and fruits, as well as meat such as fish and shrimp, and we also need some milk and nuts.
When eating these foods, we should pay attention to reasonable combination, diversification and balanced intake.

There are many nutrients that can fight depression, and they cannot be fully provided by a certain type of food. Diverse foods can provide more comprehensive nutrition. Moreover, food diversity is a feature of all high-quality diets, just like the Mediterranean diet, one of the characteristics is rich and diverse food. In addition, from the perspective of improving overall health, improving immunity, preventing chronic diseases, and improving physical strength and energy, a diversified diet is also more advantageous. A healthy body is also helpful in preventing depression.

In addition, there are some foods that may increase the risk of depression if eaten for a long time, such as the following:

Foods that may increase your risk of depression

① Fried foods, desserts, sweet drinks

High-sugar, high-fat foods are not only not conducive to controlling weight and maintaining good blood sugar, blood pressure and blood lipids, but may also increase the risk of depression.

② Deeply processed foods

Foods such as potato chips, spicy snacks, biscuits, cookies, milk tea, instant noodles, and processed sausages are all highly processed foods. They are often high in sugar, fat, and salt. During the processing, the nutrients contained in the ingredients are often destroyed. Studies have found that these foods increase the risk of depression and stress levels [3]. It is better to eat less of them.

③Pig’s trotters, tendons, chicken skin, pig skin, fish skin

Studies have found that people who often eat foods such as pig’s trotters, tendons, chicken skin, pig skin, and fish skin may have their intestinal flora affected, leading to low mood and depressive symptoms, due to the high levels of proline in these foods [8].

Although the conclusions of this study have yet to be further verified, the above-mentioned foods are high in fat and the protein quality is not high (the protein in pig trotters, tendons, etc. is mainly low-quality collagen and cannot directly supplement collagen to the human body), so they should not be eaten too much.

④Wine and alcoholic beverages

Alcohol can easily interfere with emotional stability, and the metabolism of alcohol in the body requires the consumption of B vitamins, which may increase the risk of depression.

⑤Strong coffee or tea

Drinks with high caffeine concentrations can easily cause insomnia, which can easily lead to anxiety. Long-term insomnia can also greatly affect emotional stability.

However, while diet may be important for our emotional and mental health, it is unlikely to be a panacea for mental illness.

Diet is only one part of the factors that affect mood, and it is a small part. Other factors, such as physical exercise, good psychological care, and medication (when needed) will also have an impact on mood..... Adequate sleep, a healthy lifestyle, and enjoying good food can all make people feel better.

Finally, we would like to remind everyone that if you have symptoms of depression, please seek medical attention in time. If you are in a period of depression, give priority to eating foods that you can accept and like to eat and that can help fight depression. Enjoying food itself can also make you feel happier and more satisfied.

References

[1]van der Spek, A., Stewart, ID, Kühnel, B. et al. Circulating metabolites modulated by diet are associated with depression. Mol Psychiatry (2023).

[2].Li Y, Lv MR, Wei YJ, Sun L, Zhang JX, Zhang HG, Li B. Dietary patterns and depression risk: A meta-analysis. Psychiatry Res. 2017 Jul;253:373-382.

[3]Samuthpongtorn, C., Nguyen, LH, Okereke, OI, Wang, DD, Song, M., Chan, AT, & Mehta, RS (2023). Consumption of Ultraprocessed Food and Risk of Depression. JAMA Network Open, 6(9), e2334770-e2334770.

[4]Wang A, Wan X, Zhuang P, Jia W, Ao Y, Liu X, Tian Y, Zhu L, Huang Y, Yao J, Wang B, Wu Y, Xu Z, Wang J, Yao W, Jiao J, Zhang Y. High fried food consumption impacts anxiety and depression due to lipid metabolism disturbance and neuroinflammation. Proc Natl Acad Sci US A. 2023 May 2;120(18):e2221097120.

[5]Gootenberg DB, Button JE, Wolfe BE, et al: Diet rapidly and reproducibly alters the human gut microbiome. Nature 2014;505:559–563.

[6]Guu TW, Mischoulon D, Sarris J, et al. International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research Practice Guidelines for omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of major depressive disorder[J]. Psychotherapy and psychosomatics, 2019, 88(5): 263-273.

[7]Guu TW, Mischoulon D, Sarris J, et al. A multi-national, multi-disciplinary Delphi consensus study on using omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) for the treatment of major depressive disorder[J]. Journal of affective disorders, 2020, 265: 233-238.

[8] Mayneris-Perxachs J, Castells-Nobau A, Arnoriaga-Rodríguez M, et al. Microbiota alterations in proline metabolism impact depression[J]. Cell Metabolism, 2022,34(5):681-701.

Planning and production

This article is a work of Science Popularization China-Starry Sky Project

Produced by: Science Popularization Department of China Association for Science and Technology

Producer｜China Science and Technology Press Co., Ltd., Beijing Zhongke Xinghe Culture Media Co., Ltd.

Author: Wang Lu, registered nutritionist in China

Review | Ruan Guangfeng, Deputy Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center

Planning丨Linlin Wang Mengru

Editor: Wang Mengru