Author: Dean Rouseberg
Time for reading: ~1
minutes
Last Updated:
August 08, 2022
In this article, learn more about The Mediterranean Diet Reduces The Risk Of Depression. Mediterranean cuisine - with the effect of reducing the risk of depression..
Mediterranean cuisine, which combines vegetables, fruits, nuts and whole grains, as well as lots of fish and seafood, has the effect of reducing the risk of depression. The study was published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
The study included more than 10,000 healthy Spaniards who were followed for almost 5 years by a team of Dr. Almudena Sanchez-Villegas from the University of Navarre in Spain. The participants in the study shared their preferences regarding nutrition, on the basis of which the team of scientists determined their preferences for Mediterranean cuisine.
Experts examine the relationship between unsaturated and saturated fatty acids, moderate alcohol consumption, the presence of dairy products in the menu, limited consumption of meat and preference for vegetables, fruits, nuts, cereals, legumes and fish in the diet.
At the end of the study, researchers recorded 480 cases of depression, in 156 men and 324 women. According to them, adherence to Mediterranean cuisine reduces the risk of depression by 30%.
These indicators are unrelated to others such as lifestyle, marital status and safe driving.
It is not yet clear the mechanism by which the molecules contained in the products of the Mediterranean table prevent depression, but the authors suggest that the causes are rooted in the positive effect of a combination of various foods that improve the circulatory system, reduce inflammation. and the risk of developing heart disease, reduce the processes of cell damage by free radicals and active oxygen particles.
The benefits are explained by the presence of many antioxidants, unsaturated fatty acids, plant pigments, vitamins, folic acid and other beneficial substances contained in Mediterranean dishes.