A poor diet not only causes physical health problems, but also increases the risk of depression.
According to the British Journal of Psychiatry, researchers at London’s University College analyzed the diet of 3 500 people for five years and monitored their mental state.
After taking into account various factors like sex, age, education, smoking and chronic diseases, researchers found a significant difference between people who ate fruits, vegetables and fish and those who ate processed foods like fried foods, sugary desserts, processed meats and dairy fat.
Subjects who consumed a balanced diet had a 26% chance of developing depression in the future compared to 58% in the other group.
Researchers explain these results by the fact that healthy foods contain antioxidants and offer better protection because of the combination of various essential nutrients which decreases the risk of depression.