Could refined sugars increase the risk of depression?
According to a recent study, eating a lot of refined sugars after menopause promotes depression. Can a change in diet prevent the illness?
We’ve known for years that junk food is the enemy of our brains, and particularly, our mood. Studies have shown that consuming a lot of trans fats, found in processed industrial foods, significantly drives up the risk of depression. There is also evidence that abusing sweets and sodas at night takes a toll on one’s cardiovascular system. New research has been conducted at the American University of Columbia to determine the impact of frequent consumption of refined sugars – such as those found in white bread, pasta or rice – on the risk of depression. So is it dangerous?
A DIET THAT PROMOTES DEPRESSION
The researchers already had their own ideas on the issue and suggested that if we consume more foods with high glycemic index (which includes the infamous refined sugars), the higher the risk of depression. To test this theory, scientists observed the consumption of different sugars (natural, added, fructose, lactose, sucrose, and the like) of about 60,000 postmenopausal women for 4 years. Just as they thought, they discovered that a high glycemic index diet was indeed the bed of depression – just like regular consumption of products containing added sugars elsewhere.
HOW TO PREVENT THE ILLNESS?
Many studies have already shown the key role of Omega-3 (fatty acids found in some fish such as mackerel, sardines and salmon, as well as in vegetable oils like linseed or rapeseed) in banishing the specter of depression. Researchers at Columbia University now suggest to conduct further studies to determine if a diet low in glycemic index can be a treatment against depression or a way to prevent it. Stay tuned.
Source: High glycemic index diet as a risk factor for depression: analysis from the Women’s Health Initiative; The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, June 2015
Maureen Diament and Nur Syazana H.
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