How can diet affect depression

Zinc helps the body perceive taste, but it also boosts the immune system and may influence depression. Some studies have suggested that zinc levels may be lower in people with depression and that zinc supplementation may help antidepressants work more effectively. Zinc is present in:. Learn more about the health benefits of zinc here. Serotonin appears to play a role in depression, but the mechanism is complex, and exactly how it works remains unclear. However, eating foods that may boost serotonin levels might be beneficial.

Learn more about tryptophan and which foods contain it. Healthy gut microbiota may reduce the symptoms and risk of depression, according to a meta-analysis. The researchers suggested that Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium may help. Learn more about probiotics here. Obesity appears to raise the risk of depression. This increased risk may be due to the hormonal and immunological changes that occur in people with obesity.

A person who is overweight or has obesity may wish to consult their doctor or a dietitian about ways to manage their weight. There is also evidence that it can help with weight loss and may reduce the risk of depression. Learn more here about the DASH diet. There is a clear link between alcohol and mental health problems.

A person may drink as a way to cope with depression, but alcohol can aggravate or trigger new bouts of depression and anxiety. Regularly consuming large amounts of alcohol can lead to further complications, such as accidents, family issues, loss of employment, and ill health. Even those who limit their alcohol consumption to no more than one drink a day have a higher risk of some types of cancer , according to the National Cancer Institute.

Poor health, in turn, can lead to further depression. Convenience foods, such as fast food and junk food, can be high in calories and low in nutrients. Studies have suggested that people who consume lots of fast food are more likely to have depression than those who eat mostly fresh produce.

Processed foods, especially those high in sugar and refined carbs, may contribute to a higher risk of depression. A bar of chocolate may give an instant boost, but a rapid low can follow. It is best to opt for fresh, nutrient dense, whole foods that provide a steady source of energy over time. Refined and saturated fats can trigger inflammation , and they may also impair brain function and worsen the symptoms of depression.

Learn more here about healthful and unhealthful fats. At least one study has found that a moderate intake of caffeine, in the form of coffee , may benefit people with depression.

B Vitamin supplementation may help to reduce homocysteine levels, but this should be done under the supervision of your doctor and a qualified registered nutrition practitioner or dietitian.

Eat B vitamin rich whole foods: whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. Folic acid is particularly rich in green vegetables, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds, while B12 is only found in animal foods — meat, fish, eggs and dairy produce.

A good starting point is also to supplement a multivitamin providing optimal levels of B vitamins or as specific B vitamin complex. Amino acids are considered the building blocks of proteins. Nine of the 20 amino acids are essential — meaning the body cannot make these and we must get them from our diet. These are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine.

We need tryptophan to make energy and the neurotransmitters serotonin and melatonin. Serotonin supports mood and melatonin helps us to sleep. In order to convert tryptophan to serotonin and melatonin we must also have adequate amounts of other nutritional cofactors including vitamin B6, magnesium, vitamin C, zinc, iron and folate.

If we are under a lot of stress, either psychologically or physically tryptophan can be converted to quinolinic acid instead of serotonin. Quinolinic acid is a neurotoxin which has been found to correlate with increased depressive symptoms in some individuals.

Studies have found a link between lower levels of tryptophan and higher levels of quinolinic acid in some groups of people with depression Tryptophan can be found in many protein-rich foods such as meat, poultry particularly turkey , fish, beans, eggs, lentils, nuts and seeds.

Having a portion e. Protein powders can be a convenient and easy to take source of amino acids. Look for protein powders that are free from artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners like aspartame are found in many diet drinks and sugar-free sweets. Aspartame can block the formation of serotonin and cause headaches, poor sleep and low mood.

In order for your body to get the most out of the tryptophan it gets it requires carbohydrates to help tryptophan get into the brain where it can be used. Eating a complex carbohydrate at the same time as protein can be helpful.

There is a direct link between mood and blood sugar balance. All carbohydrate foods are broken down into glucose and your brain runs on glucose. Sugar is made from sucralose which is glucose and fructose. Sugar breaks down very quickly in the body and we can experience sharp rises in the amount of glucose in the blood.

The more uneven your blood sugar supply the more uneven your mood can be. With blood sugar ups and downs we can feel tired, irritable, experience dizziness, insomnia, excessive sweating especially at night , poor concentration and forgetfulness, excessive thirst, low moods, digestive disturbances and blurred vision.

Refined sugar and refined carbohydrates meaning white bread, pasta, rice, sweets and most processed foods are also linked with depression because eating lots of sugar also depletes levels of B vitamins. Several studies have found that a higher intake of higher glycemic index GI foods higher refined sugar content is associated with a higher risk of depression Sugar also diverts the supply of another nutrient involved in mood — chromium.

This mineral is vital for keeping your blood sugar level stable because it is involved in the modulation of insulin, which clears glucose from the blood. The best way to keep your blood sugar level more stable is to eat what is called a low Glycemic Load GL diet , which means avoiding refined sugar and refined carbohydrates, and instead following a varied diet including green leafy vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and berries.

Including sources of protein, for example lean meats, fish, chicken, nuts and seeds, and essential fats, such as those found in oily fish, walnuts and avocados, with each meal may help to balance blood sugar, whilst keeping you feeling fuller for longer.

Chromium is vital for keeping your blood sugar level stable because it is required for the functioning of insulin, which clears glucose from the blood.

Good food sources of chromium include broccoli, turkey, liver, whole grains, seafood and green beans. Chromium can also be taken in a supplement form called chromium picolinate, although this should be done under the supervision of a doctor, particularly if diabetes medications are being taken i. Magnesium plays an essential role in a wide-range of processes in the body, right down to the cellular level, and magnesium deficiency is linked in the development of various systemic diseases, including depression and anxiety.

After zinc, magnesium is the second most commonly deficient mineral. Chronic stress and high amounts of sugar also deplete magnesium levels in the body.

A higher intake of dietary magnesium seems to be associated with lower depression symptoms. One study found patients with major depression experienced an improvement in their symptoms after being subjected to to mg of magnesium with each meal and at bedtime The daily recommended intake of magnesium for adults is mg a day for men 19 to 64 years and mg a day for women 19 to 64 years.

Foods high in magnesium include almonds, bananas, black beans, broccoli, brown rice, cashews, flaxseed, green leafy vegetables spinach , nuts, oatmeal, seeds pumpkin, sesame, sunflowers soybeans, sweet corn, tofu, and whole grains. Magnesium supplements can be added alongside food sources, and Magnesium can also be administered via Epsom bath salts and Magnesium sprays.

Vitamin D deficiency is increasingly being recognised as a common problem around the globe and may be implicated in depression, particularly if you feel worse in winter. You are most at risk for vitamin D deficiency if you are elderly since your ability to make it in the skin reduces with age , dark-skinned you require up to 6 times more sunshine than a light-skinned person to make the same amount of vitamin D , overweight your vitamin D stores may be tucked away within your fat tissue , or you tend to shy away from the sun — covering up and using sun-block.

Get your vitamin D levels tested: ask your GP or qualified nutrition practitioner for a vitamin D test. Get sensible sunshine exposure: Get some sensible sun exposure, without sun-block, but do not allow yourself to become sunburned. Some foods are associated with mood problems. It is thought that Coeliac Disease is vastly underdiagnosed in the UK. Some symptoms of Coeliac Disease are fluctuating digestive symptoms including diarrhoea, constipation or bloating, and otherwise unexplained anaemia.

Although dietary changes may help boost your mood and lessen the severity of symptoms, it is not a substitution for other forms of treatment. Talk to your doctor or a mental health expert about how you can include nutrition as part of your overall treatment plan. For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database. Everything feels more challenging when you're dealing with depression.

Get our free guide when you sign up for our newsletter. Understanding nutrition, depression and mental illnesses. Indian J Psychiatry. Fruit and vegetable intake and mental health in adults: a systematic review.

Dietary patterns and the risk of depression in adults: a systematic review of observational studies. Eur J Nutr. A brief diet intervention can reduce symptoms of depression in young adults — A randomised controlled trial.

The effects of dietary improvement on symptoms of depression and anxiety: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

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