More Fruit Lessens Depression Risk

A number of previous studies report a link between dietary factors and depression. Gita Mishra, from University of Queensland (Australia), and colleagues studied data collected on 6,271 women, mean age 55 years, enrolled in the Australian Longitudinal Study in Women’s Health. The data revealed that women who ate at least two servings of fruit a day were less likely to suffer from depression than women who ate fewer servings, after adjusting for confounding factors. As well, the team observed that two or more servings of fruit daily exerted a protective effect against future development of depression. The study authors report that: “Increasing fruit consumption may be one important factor for reducing both the prevalence and incidence of depressive symptoms in mid-age women.”

Source: Mihrshahi S, Dobson AJ, Mishra GD. “Fruit and vegetable consumption and prevalence and incidence of depressive symptoms in mid-age women: results from the Australian longitudinal study on women's health.” Eur J Clin Nutr. 2014 Oct 29.