Research Calls Consumption Of A Day's Nuts Can Lower The Risk Of Depression

Illustration of beans. (Unsplash/Maddi Bazzocco)

JAKARTA - Consuming a handful of nuts every day is shown to reduce the risk of depression by 17 percent, scientists say.

Data from the UK Biobank, an online database containing medical records and lifestyles of about 500,000 Britons, shows middle-aged adults and the elderly consuming 30 grams of nuts every day, including walnuts, almonds, Brazilian nuts, mete beans, hazelnuts, and pistachio, are unlikely to report any use of antidepressants or be diagnosed with depression.

The study was published in the journal 'Clinical Nutrition', but did not explain why this happened. Researchers speculate that anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in nuts may have protective effects.

The research team said that nuts contain important nutrients in the form of bioactive substances such as phenol or phytosterol, essential micronutrients, fiber, high-quality proteins, single unsaturated and double unsaturated fatty acids, as well as vitamins that can play a useful role in mental health.

"Our findings highlight another benefit of consuming nuts, with a 17 percent drop in depression associated with peanut consumption," Bruno Bizzozero-Perony, researchers at the Castilla-La Mancha University Health and Social Research Center in Spain, reported by The National News, October 19.

"This provides a stronger reason for the community to be enthusiastic about consuming nuts," he continued.

As part of the study, the researchers looked at data of more than 13,000 people aged 37 to 73, between 2007 and 2020.

These people did not report depression at the start of the study.

Kuesioner is used to assess the consumption of nuts and during research, a diagnosis of depression or the use of antidepressants reported by doctors themselves was noted.

After a follow-up period of more than five years, there were more than 1,100 (8.3 percent) cases of depression.

Research results also show that those who consume low to moderate amounts of nuts, defined as one serving of 30 grams per day, have a 17 percent lower risk of depression compared to those who don't eat nuts.

The researchers say these findings are despite other factors that may affect mental health such as lifestyles, medical conditions, and body mass indexes.

"Our results highlight the potential role of consumption of nuts as a healthy diet to prevent depression in those who are free from other depression risk factors, such as obesity, unhealthy lifestyle behavior (smoking, frequently consuming alcohol, low fruit and vegetable intake, less active, and inadequate sleep duration), loneliness, and medical conditions such as cardiovascular, metabolic, or mental comorbidities," the team wrote.

Separately, Jenna Macciochi, senior immunology lecturer at the University of Sussex, who was not involved in the study, said: "This study is based on the growing literature in the field of nutrition psychology that suggests diet is a factor causing mood disorders."

"In particular, they found a positive relationship between intake of nuts and lower risk of depression than not eating nuts," he explained.

"This research shows a relationship and does not prove mechanistic effects, but the author suggests some mechanisms that allow the consumption of nuts to work," Macciochi continued.

"I think there's still a lot we need to learn about the existing potential mechanism and a deeper understanding of this in the future will be useful when making diet recommendations."

He added: "The best evidence for supporting good mental health through a diet may come from a Mediterranean-style anti-inflammatory diet, which nuts are considered as one of its components."