Study: Diets Heavy in Processed, Fatty Foods Tied to Depression
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
People who eat diets that are heavy in processed and fatty foods are more prone to depression, according to a study from University College London.
Researchers also found that diets heavy in fresh vegetables, fruit and fish could help prevent the onset of depression, Agence France-Presse reported.
The study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, compared the diets of two groups of civil servants. One group ate a diet based on "whole," rather than processed foods. The other group ate a fatty, processed food diet that included sweets and high-fat dairy products.
After taking into account lifestyle choices such as exercise and smoking, researchers found that those who ate the whole food diet had a 26 percent lower risk of depression than those who ate mostly processed foods.
People on the processed and fatty foods diet had a 58 percent higher risk of depression.
