Poll: Does a Mediterranean diet fight depression?
If you follow a Mediterranean diet do you find that you’re less depressed than other folks? While a Mediterranean diet has long been considered a good way to reduce the risk of heart disease, a new study shows it might have mental benefits as well.
People who eat a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains and fish-appear less likely to develop depression, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
The prevalence of mental disorders has been found to be lower in Mediterranean than Northern European countries and one explanation is that the diet commonly followed in the region may be protective against depression, the study said. Previous research has suggested that the monounsaturated fatty acids in olive oil that’s used abundantly in the Mediterranean diet may also be associated with a lower risk of severe depressive symptoms.
The research involved 10,094 healthy Spanish participants who were studied by Almudena Sánchez-Villegas of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Clinic of the University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, and colleagues. The participants reported their dietary intake on a food frequency questionnaire, and the researchers calculated their adherence to the Mediterranean diet based on a group of components including a high ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids; moderate intake of alcohol and dairy products; low intake of meat; and high intake of legumes, fruit and nuts, cereals, vegetables and fish.
“The specific mechanisms by which a better adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern could help to prevent the occurrence of depression are not well known,” the authors wrote. Components of the diet may improve blood vessel function, fight inflammation, reduce risk for heart disease and repair oxygen-related cell damage, all of which may decrease the chances of developing depression.
The Mediterranean diet traditionally includes fruits, vegetables, pasta and rice. For example, residents of Greece eat very little red meat and average nine servings a day of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables. The Mediterranean diet has been associated with a lower level of LDL cholesterol, the “bad” cholesterol that’s more likely to build up deposits in your arteries.
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Gail writes about business, health and wine for the Post-Dispatch. She joined the P-D in 2005 after moving from NYC where she covered federal courts and wrote about food and wine. In her free time, Gail lifts weights, and of course, wine glasses. 
There may be reason to believe there is a correlation between diet and depression as indicated in the study. But, correlation is not causation. I am limiting my response to the above article and feel there is far more to the answer. I live in South Korea where women guard themselves from ANY exposure to the sun as to avoid appearing like one who works in the fields. The poor air quality also reduces sun exposure. Suicide and depression are terrible here for women. In the above article they point to diet as the cause of lower rated of depression in Spain vs. Northern Europe. Seratonin from regular sunlight has a strong effect on ones outlook. Ever wonder why suicide and coffee intake is so high in Seattle?