Mixed
Adherence to a healthy dietary pattern, specifically the Mediterranean diet or a low Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), is associated with a reduced risk of incident depression in longitudinal observational studies.
To lower your risk of depression, focus on adopting a Mediterranean-style diet or minimizing pro-inflammatory foods. This involves eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and olive oil, while limiting red meat, processed foods, and sugar. The evidence suggests that maintaining this pattern over time is associated with a significantly lower risk of developing depression.
The most compelling evidence was found for the Mediterranean diet and incident depression, with a combined relative risk estimate of highest vs. lowest adherence category from four longitudinal studies of 0.67 (95% CI 0.55–0.82). A lower Dietary Inflammatory Index was also associated with lower depression incidence in four longitudinal studies (relative risk 0.76; 95% CI: 0.63–0.92).
Why this rating
High-quality systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies with large sample sizes, though limited by observational design.
Source
Healthy dietary indices and risk of depressive outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies
Camille Lassale et al. · Molecular Psychiatry · 2018
DOI 10.1038/s41380-018-0237-8
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