DIETARY FIBER MAY HELP PREVENT DEPRESSION
DIETARY FIBER MAY HELP PREVENT DEPRESSION
by Jeffrey Nathanson, M.D.
Adding to the long list of benefits of dietary fiber (see Libby’s blog SIX HEALTH BENEFITS OF FIBER AND HOW TO ADD MORE TO YOUR DIET from October 9, 2020), a recent study suggests that higher fiber intake may be associated with a decreased risk of depression in premenopausal women.
In a study published in the journal Menopause and discussed in Medscape Medical News, investigators analyzed data from close to 6000 pre-and postmenopausal women. They found that, in premenopausal women, dietary fiber intake was higher among those without depression vs. their counterparts with the disorder in a dose-dependent manner.
Medscape: Higher Dietary Fiber Tied to Lower Depression Risk in Young Women
“The inverse relationship between dietary fiber intake and depression could be explained by the gut-brain interactions,” says lead author Yunsun Kim, MD, resident, department of family medicine, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea. “Changes in the gut microbiota composition may affect neurotransmission and various neuropsychiatric phenomena in the brain,” she said, noting that previous studies have suggested that dietary fiber intake “may modulate the richness and diversity of the gut microbiota, and this change may promote brain health by affecting neurotransmission.”
Interestingly, previous studies have also found an associated between estrogen and the microbiome. Given the fact that women are twice as likely as men to suffer from depression, these findings suggest the interplay of fiber, estrogen, and gut flora has an impact on female emotional well-being.
If you would like to explore how best to incorporate more fiber into a healthier diet or delve further into the mind-gut connection and its contribution to emotional health, we have a team of Registered Dietitians and a Behavioral Counselor eager to help you. Please contact us at 224-407-4400 or through our website at www.compgihealth.com.
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