Eating five fruits and vegetables a day, we know, has many nutritional benefits for health. But there is another benefit that we had no idea: helping to reduce the risk of depression.
In any case, this is what a recent study carried out by researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), in Australia, and published in the journal Scientific Reports indicates. Carried out on a sample of 3,483 individuals living in the United States, Denmark, Australia and Sweden, this study focused particularly on twins, whose genetic similarities make it possible to minimize the influence of hereditary factors. The health problems observed in this context can thus be attributed to other variables, such as diet or level of physical activity.
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According to ScienceAlert, which relays this work, researchers observed a difference in depressive disorders between individuals with a high consumption of fruits and vegetables and those with a low consumption. Importantly, this difference was described as “modest,” but study participants did not meet daily fruit and vegetable intake recommendations, which call for at least five servings per day. The first group (high consumption) ate four daily servings, the second (low consumption) barely one.
-A solution to widespread anxiety?
According to UNSW researcher Annabel Matison, “it is difficult to say whether depressive disorders would significantly decrease if fruit and vegetable consumption reached recommended levels“. However, the sample size, combined with the use of twins in this study, suggests that there is a real cause and effect link between fruit and vegetable consumption and reduced risks of depressive disorders. “The results of this study are consistent with most previous observations», Indicates a note published by the research team.
It is also relevant to emphasize that the age of the participants (45 years and over) reinforces this hypothesis, with depressive disorders often reaching their peak between 55 and 75 years old.
The health benefits of fruits and vegetables are already well established. However, this study could offer us a simple and effective tool to help fight depressive disorders, in a context where anxiety levels are particularly high.
