Study: Healthy Diet Helps Opponents Depression In Young Men

Illustration (Diogo Brandao/Pexels)

JAKARTA - Young men who originally applied a poor diet and had symptoms of depression, when they switched to a healthy diet, this could help deal with symptoms of depression, said a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Depression is a significant risk factor for a person to commit suicide as well as the main cause of death in young adults. As quoted from Science Daily, Monday, in the study, researchers from the University of Technology Sydney conducted a 12-week random control trial.

Lead researcher Jessica Bayes said this was the first random clinical trial to assess the impact of the Mediterranean diet on symptoms of depression on young men aged 18-25 years.

"Those assigned to the Mediterranean diet can significantly change their native diet, under the guidance of nutritionists, in a short period of time. This suggests doctors and psychologists should consider referring young men who are depressed to nutritionists or nutritionists as an important component to treat clinical depression," he explained.

The diet used in this study is rich in colorful vegetables, gubernauts and seeds, fish, olive oil, and beans without salt.

"The main focus is on improving the quality of the diet with fresh whole food while reducing the intake of fast food, sugar and processed red meat," said Bayes.

According to him, there are many reasons why food scientifically affects mood. For example, about 90 percent of serotonin, a chemical that helps people feel happy, made in the intestines by intestinal microbes. There is evidence that this microbial can communicate to the brain through the vagus nerve or the gut axis.

"To have useful microbes, we need to give them the fibers found in nuts, fruits and vegetables," said Bayes.

Referring to studies, about 30 percent of depression patients fail to respond adequately to standard treatment for major depression disorders such as cognitive behavioral therapy and antidepressant drugs.