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Could changing what you eat help ease depression? A small but intriguing study from the University of California, San Francisco, suggests it might.
Psychiatric researchers there conducted a small study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, involving 20 people with depression. All participants dramatically reduced by some 85% their consumption of ultra-processed foods including packaged snacks, fast food, and sugary drinks. After four weeks, these subjects experienced moderate to large improvements in three quantitative measures of depression. Their anxiety symptoms also improved.
The investigators and their collaborators propose that ultra-processed foods damage the protective lining of the digestive tract. This contributes to chronic inflammation and a modification of gut bacteria that affects brain function and mood.
*Reducing ultra-processed food consumption may be a promising way to improve mental health. Know, though, that dietary changes can complement but not replace more established therapies for depression.
The references for this report are available on my website.
#MentalHealth #Depression #UltraProcessedFoods #GutBrainConnection #NutritionResearch
