Women who eat a lot of red meat, bread, pasta, and chips may be more prone to depression, a new study found.
According to a 12-year research project published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, women who indulge in soda, refined grains, like pasta, and fatty red meat were more likely to be diagnosed or treated for depression, Prevention.com reported.
Researchers evaluated 43,000 women who were not diagnosed with depression, and they looked at their diets. The end result concluded that the women who ate pasta and red meat were 29 to 41 percent more likely to be diagnosed than those who avoided refined grains, junk food and soft drinks. It also found that women who ate those foods tested for the three biomarkers of inflammation.
Michel Lucas, PhD, of the Harvard School of Public Health, told MSN it's unclear how inflammation and depression are linked. Lucas said there's more and more evidence of foods that similarly increase inflammation and depression.
To decrease a person's risk of both depression and inflammation, Lucas said to follow a daily diet that includes drinks and foods like coffee, olive oil, wine, carrots, sweet potatoes, and leafy greens.
Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland conducted a comparable study on men that yielded similar results. Researchers evaluated 2,000 men to come up with their findings.
"The study reinforces the hypothesis that a healthy diet has potential not only in the warding off of depression, but also in its prevention," Anu Ruusunen, who presented the male study earlier this year in her doctoral thesis, told ScienceDaily.com.
It added that junk food, sugar, and processed meats might increase depression symptoms. Ruusunen also said that fruits, berries, poultry, fish, low-fat cheese, and whole grains are associated with a lower risk of developing a mood disorder.
