Skipping dessert really can leave you down in the dumps.<\/p>\n
No one who\u2019s been on a diet has ever said \u201cI love calorie restriction,\u201d but a new study has found a not-so-surprising link between low-cal eating and depression.<\/p>\n
And some people have it worse than others.<\/p>\n
Researchers found that men and those whose BMI classified them as overweight were particularly susceptible to diet-linked depression. Studio Romantic \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n
The dietary habits and depressive symptoms of 28,000 US adults were analyzed for the study, published in BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health<\/a>.<\/p>\n Of these adults, 29% had a healthy weight, 33% were deemed overweight, and 38% were considered obese. <\/p>\n The dietary patterns were divided into four categories: calorie-restrictive, nutrient-restrictive (low in fat), sugar, salt, or carbs, established dietary pattern, or not on a diet.<\/p>\n The majority of participants, 87%, did not follow any specific diet, 8% followed a calorie-restrictive diet, 3% opted for nutrient restriction, and 2% followed an established dietary pattern. <\/p>\n Using questionnaires from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, researchers found that 8% of participants reported depressive symptoms. <\/p>\n Those on calorie or nutrient-restrictive diets exhibited higher scores of emotional and physical distress than their cohorts who were not on a specific diet, suggesting that unsupervised restrictive diets may negatively affect mental health.<\/p>\n Researchers found that men and those whose BMI classified them as overweight were particularly susceptible to diet-linked depression. <\/p>\n Besides affecting your quality of life and relationships, depression can raise the risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke,\u00a0dementia, Alzheimer\u2019s disease, anxiety disorders and substance abuse. bravissimos \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n \u201cThe findings suggest caution with overly restrictive or unbalanced diets, particularly for people already experiencing weight-related stress or challenges,\u201d said lead study author Dr. Venkat Bhat, psychiatrist, clinician-researcher, and director of the Interventional Psychiatry Program at St. Michael\u2019s Hospital and University of Toronto.<\/p>\n Researchers found that the quality of diet had a direct bearing on depression risk. Those whose diet was rife with ultra-processed foods (UPFs) were more likely to report higher levels of depression. <\/p>\n Recent research revealed that\u00a060%<\/a>\u00a0of Americans\u2019 daily caloric intake comes from\u00a0ultra-processed foods.<\/a><\/p>\n UPFs often contain high levels of sodium, refined sugars, cholesterol-spiking fats and other lab-based ingredients.<\/p>\n A 2023 study<\/a>\u00a0from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that people who consume nine or more servings of UPFs a day have a 50% higher risk of developing depression than those who eat four or fewer daily servings.<\/p>\n Previous studies have established that a Mediterranean diet rich in fruit, veggies, nuts, fish, and plants can slash depression risk by a third. Eightshot Images \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n In contrast, this latest study revealed that those who followed a Mediterranean diet exhibited lower rates of depression. <\/p>\n Previous studies<\/a> have established that a Mediterranean diet rich in fruit, veggies, nuts, fish and plants can slash depression risk by a third.<\/p>\n