- A new study shows eating a handful of nuts daily is linked to a 17% lower risk of depression.
- Nuts contain phytochemicals that could be associated with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which are linked to improved mental health.
- Numerous studies demonstrate the impact of diet on mood.
- Lifestyle changes to help a person manage depression include limiting alcohol intake, increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly.
Growing evidence demonstrates the impact of
Researchers analyzed data from the UK Biobank, a database of health information from approximately half a million United Kingdom citizens. They examined data from more than 13,000 middle-aged and older people with an average age of 58 years between 2007 and 2020.
Participants were given questionnaires to measure nut intake and during the study, depression symptoms or antidepressant use was noted. Those who participated did not report having depression at the beginning of the study.
Results showed that middle-aged and older adults who ate 30 grams of nuts — almonds, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios, and Brazil nuts — per day had a decreased likelihood of taking antidepressants or developing depression.
Researchers discovered this result was the same despite other variables such as medical issues and lifestyle that could impact mental health.
“Nuts provide a rich variety of bioavailable phytochemicals that might be associated with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities; which in turn has been associated with improved mental health,” Dr. Lokesh Shahani, assistant professor of psychiatry at UTHealth Houston, not involved in this study, told Medical News Today.
Additionally, “the anti-inflammatory (downregulation of proinflammatory cytokine expression) and…
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