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Diet Tips: Changes in the diet plan can improve the symptoms of depression, a study reports
According to a recent study, a brief change in diet plan can improve the symptoms of depression among young adults. Read on to know more.
Researchers have found a link between diet, nutrition and mental health. According to them, even a slight change in our diet may relieve the symptoms of depression. The report has been published after having several trials in the PLOS One journal titled as 'A brief diet intervention can reduce symptoms of depression in young adults'. This study was conducted at the Macquarie University in Australia.
This study was carried out to determine if a change in diet plan can help to improve the symptoms of depression among young adults. It was done with 76 young adults between the age of 17 and 35. They all had symptoms of depression from moderate to high levels and they all were having an unhealthy diet plan full of sugar, saturated fats and processed foods.
What is depression?
Depression is a state of low mood that affects our thoughts, behaviour, motivation, feelings and the sense of well-being. A depressed person experiences sadness frequently, gets difficulty in thinking and concentrating on anything, gets an increased or decreased appetite, etc. Depressed persons often have suicidal thoughts that are driven by hopelessness. A depressed mood is a common symptom of mood disorders like dysthymia.
What does the study say?
According to this recent study, a certain change in your diet plan for a brief period can help to relieve the symptoms of depression. This has been considered to be an effective strategy to combat the symptoms of depression.
How did the study take place?
First, the participants were tested for the levels of depression, mood and anxiety disorders. Then, they were divided into two groups, i.e. the diet-change group and the regular-diet group. They were also tested for their logical and reasoning abilities at the beginning and end of the study.
People from the diet-change group were motivated to stick to a healthy diet plan for three weeks. After three weeks, the group saw a significant improvement in their depression, stress and anxiety scores. The other people from the regular-diet group didn't find any improvement in their depression and stress scores as they stuck to their regular unhealthy diet.
