A study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry found that Englishmen, who ate mainly fruit, vegetables and fish. were less likely to get depression 6 years later, compared to those who were heavy meat and bread eaters. This study had similar findings to a recent one which found that a Mediterranean diet was associated with less depressive symptoms.  The authors of the British study had previously shown, in the same population, that fatness around the middle (visceral obesity), high triglyceride fats and a low, good (HDL) cholesterol also predicted the onset of depression. While these studies do not clearly separate whether bad eating habits cause depression or vice verse, their study design  supports the concept that certain foods may be the culprit. The link may be that people who eat meat and foods rich in saturated fats have elevated triglyceride levels. We have previously shown in animals that triglycerides enter the brain and can alter nerve function.

Previous intervention studies have found that exercise can reduce depressive symptoms. These studies all suggest a healthy lifestyle can decrease depressive symptoms. For many depressed persons this is extraordinarily difficult to do. Perhaps it is time for health insurance to pay for a personal trainer and aggressive dietary training.

The BOTTOM LINE is that we have even more evidence that we are what we eat. Small neurochemicals in the brain decide what we eat and how much. These same neurochemicals alter our behavior. Increased awareness of this may allow us to make better life choices, leading to a happier life. Recognizing this should make us help our children to make better food choices and do more exercise.