UQ School of Population Health: fruit a depression-buster for women

13 January 2015

Women who eat fewer than two servings of fruit a day face a greater risk of developing depression, University of Queensland research shows.
UQ School of Population Health’s Professor Gita Mishra said the findings of a six-year study of more than 6,000 Australian women revealed a clear link between fruit consumption and the development of depressive symptoms.

UQ School of Population Health
Have you had your two servings today?

“We found that women who ate at least two servings of fruit a day were less likely to suffer from depression than women who ate fewer servings, even after taking into account other factors such as smoking, alcohol, body mass index, physical activity, marital status and education,” Professor Mishra said.
“We also found that eating two or more servings of fruit a day protected women from developing depression in the future.”
Professor Mishra said researchers had not found a link between vegetable intake and depression.
“More research is needed on the different effects of fruit and vegetables, but this may be because fruit has higher levels of anti-inflammatory compounds and antioxidants, such as resveratrol, which is not found in vegetables.”
She said the findings highlighted the importance of a diet high in fruit to avoid the development of depression in middle age.
“Women experience depression at about twice the rate of men, and the rate of depression is growing rapidly.
“By 2030 it is expected to be one of the world’s top three diseases, making it a priority area for public health interventions.”
Researchers surveyed participants in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health, an Australian Government-funded project that is one of the world’s largest and longest-running studies of women’s health and well-being.
The research is published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition in a paper by Professor Mishra, UQ School of Population Health’s Professor Annette Dobson and the University of Sydney’s Dr Seema Mihrshahi.
*

If you have any questions about the University of Queensland’s public health program, please contact OzTREKK’s Australian Public Health Schools Admissions Officer Rachel Brady at rachel@oztrekk.com or call toll free in Canada at 1-866-698-7355.

News