The world’s population is aging, and the numbers bear it out. The number of people aged 65 and over worldwide is projected to more than double from 761 million in 2021 to 1.6 billion in 2050, with the number of people aged 80 and over growing even faster. At the same time, depressive symptoms (resulting from age-related neurodegenerative changes in the brain) increase among the elderly, including depressed mood, lack of pleasure, and delayed cognitive processing, often accompanied by loss of appetite. insomnia, poor concentration and increased fatigue. But can diet prevent them? If so, what specific foods eaten early in life might affect mental well-being later in life?
Fruit is the answer, apparently A study by researchers at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, which included 13,738 participants from the Singapore China Health Study and followed them from middle to late middle age for nearly two decades. Those who consumed more fruit early in life were less likely to experience symptoms of depression later in life, researchers report.
What fruits should you include in your diet?
Researchers examined a total of 14 of the most commonly eaten fruits in Singapore and found that eating the most, including oranges, tangerines, bananas, papayas, watermelons, apples and cantaloupe, was associated with a reduced likelihood of depression.
According to new findings published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, this association may be due to the fruit’s high levels of vitamin C, carotenoids and anti-inflammatory micronutrients. flavonoids that reduce oxidative stress and inhibits inflammatory processes in the body that may affect the likelihood of developing depression. No association was found for vegetable consumption.
How many servings reduced the risk of depression by 21%
“Our study highlights the importance of fruit consumption as a preventive measure against age-related depression. “In our study population, participants who consumed at least 3 servings of fruit per day reduced their odds of age-related depression by at least 21% compared to those who consumed less than one serving per day,” said Dr. . Koh Woon Puay, Principal Investigator and Professor of the Healthy Longevity Translational Research Program at the National University of Singapore.
“This can be achieved by eating one or two servings of fruit after each meal. We found no difference in our results between high and low glycemic index fruits. Therefore, diabetics can choose fruits with a low glycemic index, which will not increase blood sugar as much as those with a high index.”
Research
During the study’s baseline from 1993 to 1998, when participants were an average age of 51, they were asked to answer a structured questionnaire about their diet, specifically how often they consumed a typical daily serving size of each food for 14 fruits. and 25 vegetables.
Participants were screened for symptoms of depression from 2014 to 2016, when the average age of participants was 73, and 3,180 (23.1%) who reported five or more symptoms were considered to have depression.
After adjusting for confounding factors such as history, smoking status, physical activity level, sleep duration, and age-related factors, the researchers found that Higher consumption of fruits, but not vegetables, was associated with a lower likelihood of depressive symptoms.