SubscribeDiet and Depression Linked?
An Australian researcher has been granted funds to study the link between food and depression.
Ms Jacka said Australians' diets were high in refined carbohydrates and sugars from products such as soft drinks, white rice, white bread and baked and fried food.
Ms Jacka has some interesting thoughts:
...the change in Western diets, particularly a lack of omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, could be contributing to subthreshold depression - when people experience depressive symptoms without suffering full-blown clinical depression."I believe when someone is not receiving adequate nutrition they are more likely to develop subthreshold depressive symptoms and in turn are more likely to go on and develop major depression," Ms Jacka said.
So why does the under-nourished third world have such a low rate of depression? Depression has a multitude of causal symptoms, and nutrition must play a very small part in this. I believe that exercise plays a bigger role in alleviating mental health issues.
More like this in Psychology · Feb 9, 2005
...
Replythird world nutrition - its certainly true they are undernourished in terms of refined carbohydrates and sugars. They eat very little factory produced junk food. They may not eat "enough", but what they eat is more nutritious, mostly (except in real famine or poverty hotspots of course).
They may or may not be 'depressed' - who can tell? However one defines a 'third world' country - you can be pretty sure there arn't too many psychiatrists diagnosing mental health problems, for free.
There isnt really a solid logical connection between third world and developed world experience on diet or depression.
It is certainly true that exercise is an important therapy for depression. Does a lack of exercise cause depression? THeres not much evidence yet (very few studies). There is however a growing bulk of evidence connecting nutrition deficiency (not just EFA's) with
depressive illness.
Chris