Change Of Diet Can Treat Depression: Diet vs. Social Relationships
Typical treatment for depression commonly involves medication and/or psychotherapy. Researchers are now taking a serious look at the impact of a diet for depression as an additional form of treatment, and the results have shown the undeniable positive impact of food on mood.
More: Eating Honey May Make Vegans Happier
Diet Is Central To Mental Health
Diet and mood have often been linked, however, the possible therapeutic impact of dietary changes on existing mental illness has remained largely unknown. In a recent randomized study published in the journal BMC Medicine, aptly named “The Smile Trial", researchers aimed to investigate how diet for depression can be used as a treatment of major depressive episodes.
More: What Not To Do When The Flu Strikes
Diet Change Was Added To Patient Treatment
Theh ‘SMILES’ study was a 12-week, parallel-group, single-blind, randomized controlled trial of an adjunctive dietary intervention in the treatment of moderate to severe depression.
Researchers recruited 67 men and women ranging from moderate to severe depression, who reported eating a relatively unhealthy diet. Most were taking antidepressants and/or were in regular psychotherapy.
Researchers Looked At Diet vs. Social Relationships
Half of the depressed subjects were put on a diet for depression -- a modified Mediterranean diet, or the “ModiMed” diet, and were required to attend dietary support sessions with a nutritionist.
The other half stayed on their unhealthy diet, but were required to attend social support, or “befriending” sessions.
The subjects were accessed before and after the 12-week study. Their depression symptoms were graded using the MADRS scale (Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale), which rates mood on a scale of 0 to 60, with 60 being the most severely depressed.
More: This One Mineral Can Help You Taste Your Food Better
Good Food Does Equal Good Mood
After 12 weeks on the program, subjects in the ModiMed diet group saw their MADRS scores improve on average by about 11 points. Thirty-two percent (10 out of 31 completers) had MADRS scores so low that they no longer met criteria for depression.
The results indicated that dietary improvement may be used as an effective treatment strategy for the management of depression, the benefits of which could extend to the management of both anxiety and depression.
Science is confirming that diet and nutrition are as important to your mental #health as to your physical health. https://t.co/L3prOhbHU7#mentalhealth #depression #microbiome #Mediterraneandiet #diet #nutrition #brain #serotonin #neurotransmitters #BDNF #food pic.twitter.com/yC9G3jfwVO
— Debbie Hampton (@dlhampton) February 15, 2018
#Western #diet linked to increased risk of #mentalhealth problems for #teenagers: Researchers in Tasmania found evidence of a biological link between #diet and #depressionhttps://t.co/EWedT3dbtv pic.twitter.com/8KJi9P9ai6
— I Ctrl Shift (@ictrlshift) February 15, 2018