GASTROENTEROLOGY NERD ALERT: Healthy diet IMPROVES DEPRESSION in young adults!
GASTROENTEROLOGY NERD ALERT: Healthy diet IMPROVES DEPRESSION in young adults!
Check out this article from CNN.com about the benefit nutritional changes had on depression in young adults:
Not only did eating a healthy diet for three weeks improve depressive symptoms in college-aged young adults, but those who continued the diet for three months kept their improved outlook on life, according to a small randomized trial on diet and depression.
“Simply cutting down processed food intake and increasing fruit, vegetable(s) and fish resulted in improvements in depression symptoms,” said Heather Francis, a neuropsychologist at Australia’s Macquarie University and the lead author of the study published in the journal PLOS One.
https://www.cnn.com/…/healthy-diet-improves-depr…/index.html
Study participants were asked to cut back on refined carbohydrates; sugar; fatty or processed meats; and soft drinks. Highly processed foods have been shown to increase inflammation, which is a risk factor for depression, Francis said.
In addition, the diet recommendations made in the study “were modest and did not involve restricting energy intake or the amount of food eaten,” Francis said, adding that the foods did not have to be expensive or involve a lot of preparation time.
“So rather than trying to undertake excessively restrictive, fad diets that aren’t feasible over the long term, it’s helpful to know that making these modest changes to what you eat can have a real, measurable impact on your mental health,” Francis said.
If you or someone you know would like to get on the road to healthier eating and learn how powerful food as medicine can be, please contact us today. We have a fantastic team including a Registered Dietitian, Nurse Practitioner, and Behavioral Counselor here to help support the use of whole foods in your diet, investigate laboratory abnormalities, and help you develop lifelong habits for improving your health and well-being. We also have a comprehensive weight management program to try to fully optimize your nutrition and wellness. Call 224.407.4400 or visit compgihealth.com to learn more!