Healthy Diet Reduces Depression in Japanese Adults

TOKYO—Japanese adults who consume a healthy diet rich in produce and soy significantly reduce their risk of depression, according to a new study (Eur J Clin Nutr. ePub 19 May 2010; DOI: 10.1038/ejcn.2010.86). Researchers from the National Center for Global Health and Medicine examined dietary patterns of 521 men and women, aged 21 to 67 years, and compared them to depressive symptoms as determined by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale. The researchers identified three dietary patterns. Subjects who consumed a healthy diet characterized by high intakes of fruit, vegetables, mushrooms and soy products and the lowest incidence of depression. Those in the lowest tertile of consuming such a pattern had a 56 percent greater chance of having depressive symptoms.