Diet May Affect Rate of Depression

People who follow the Mediterranean diet may be less depressed, new research suggests. This diet includes olive oil plus many fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Protein often comes from fish, nuts, beans and legumes. The study included 10,000 healthy Spaniards. They regularly filled out a list of questions about mood and diet. Researchers kept track of them for an average of 4.4 years. Those who followed the Mediterranean diet most closely had a 30% lower rate of depression. This means that 70 people were depressed for every 100 people who didn’t follow the diet as well. The study appeared in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry. HealthDay news wrote about it October 5.