Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

Mediterranean Diet Beats the Blues

Study finds diet cuts risk of depression by nearly a third

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 6, 2009 8:05 AM CDT

(Newser) – The Mediterranean diet has been shown to cut the risk of cancer and heart disease and researchers now say it can help prevent depression as well. Spanish researchers followed 10,000 subjects for nearly 5 years and found that, even when personality traits and other factors were taken into account, those who followed a diet high in fish, vegetables, legumes and olive oil and light on red meat were 30% less likely to suffer depression.

That's a "large reduction in the risk and this could be very important considering the large burden of disease represented by depression," one researcher told the BBC. "We know how important the Mediterranean diet is in reducing cardiovascular risk factors, and the same inflammatory proteins are also raised in patients with depression."

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

The Mediterranean diet features a high intake of legumes, fruit and nuts, cereals, vegetables and fish, and moderate alcohol consumption. (Shutter Stock)

Fish features heavily in the typical Mediterranean diet. (©Terry Wha)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

What we do know is that a diet high in olive oil will enhance the amount of serotonin or brain transmitter available to you. Most anti-depression drugs work to keep more serotonin available in the brain.
- Dr Cecilia D'Felice, a clinical psychologist

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

AP Photo

35 Brutally Honest Reasons Men Say No to Sex (The Stir)

Which Entertainer Pulled Out of 'Inappropriate' Whitney Tribute? (NewsOne)

The French Government Wants to Tone My Vagina (Slate)

Obama Photo on Facebook Helps Catch Drug Dealer (HuffPost)

Hottest Women to Ever Appear in the SI Swimsuit Issue (Bleacher Report)

Partner Links

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

Showing 3 of 4 comments

prowlerzee

Oct 7, 2009 3:21 AM CDT

Spudsy, check the frozen aisle. Frozen fish is actually quite good (they have unbreaded baked/broiled). And wait for the sales! I can even get an enormous amount of frozen mussels in a nice wine sauce for a couple of bucks.

jagerhans

Oct 6, 2009 11:13 AM CDT

now ya'all know how we manage to bear berlusconi without freakin'out. olive oil, chili peppers, tomatoes pasta and rivers of wine.

schmidtkoff

Oct 6, 2009 5:16 AM CDT

come on spudsy - you must have a walmart there. tilapia, perch, mahi mahi, haddock, shrimp etc. ? just ignore the ramifications of over fishing and you can surely afford seafood. don't be depressed. i'm depressed that i do enjoy the lower walmart prices at the cost of the world's oceans.

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Rick Santorum: Birth Control Is 'Not OK'

Valentine's Day Role-Playing Goes Very Wrong

BBC (Source Grid »)

Health

depression • diet • fish • serotonin • Mediterranean diet

More Newser Stories

And the Best Diet Is...

DASH is tops overall; Weight Watchers best for losing pounds: US News

(NEWSER) - The best overall diet is the DASH diet, US News & World Report says in new rankings—but if weight loss is your specific goal, go with Weight Watchers. So what's DASH? It stands for Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension and it's generally meant for adults looking to curb high blood pressure. It's big on "whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat and nonfat dairy foods, lean proteins, nuts and limited amounts of fats and sweets," explains the Los Angeles Times , which writes about it for a different reason: A new study suggests it slows weight gain in teen girls. More»

Chocolate Linked to Depression

Study finds depressed people consume twice as much

(NEWSER) - Severely depressed people munch twice as much chocolate per month than others, according to a new study, but researchers can't figure out whether depression boosts chocolate-consumption or if it's the other way around. Chocolate may have anti-depressant properties that stimulate cravings, the researchers say, or it may be the case that some kinds of chocolate block the fatty acids known to affect mental health. The study found that no other food had the same tie to mood. More»

Diet Slashes Risk of Alzheimer's Disease

Load up on leafy greens, olive oil, nuts rather than saturated fat

(NEWSER) - Fill up on leafy green vegetables, nuts, poultry, and fish rather than red meat, butter, and full-fat dairy, and you may cut your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by as much as 40%, scientists said today. "We know that these foods are definitely helpful for other conditions and diseases, and now we have this hint that they may be helpful for brain diseases," a researcher tells Bloomberg . "It makes sense to follow this diet." More»

Atkins Will Make You Thin —but Miserable

Study shows that low-carb diet causes bad moods

(NEWSER) - You may lose weight on the Atkins diet, but you’ll be a really crabby thin person, a new study finds. OK, few dieters have truly sunny dispositions, but Australian researchers have found that the problem’s especially bad for those on low-carb diets. In a recent study, they split 100 people into two groups, putting half on Atkins, and half on a high-carb, low-fat diet. More»

Junk Food Linked to Depression

Fatty, refined foods jack risk by 58%

(NEWSER) - Feeling blue? Put down the cookies: Eating a diet rich (or, should we say, poor) in processed foods increases the risk of depression, a study finds. British scientists studied 3,500 adults over five years; those who ate mainly fried, processed, refined, high-fat foods had a 58% greater risk of depression than those who ate the least. And those who consumed mostly whole foods, produce, and fish showed a 26% lower risk than those who consumed the least of those foods, reports the BBC . More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Mediterranean Diet Beats the Blues