Blueberries and supplements can virtually eliminate baby blues in new mothers.
A study found diet alone can compensate for the surge in a protein which reduces happy hormones in the brain after giving birth. Supplements of tryptophan and tyrosine, amino acids found in chocolate and spinach, offset the loss of these chemicals, while antioxidants in blueberry juice have been shown to boost mood in previous research.
Scientists at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto found on day five after giving birth, when post-natal blues peak, women taking the supplements suffered no drop in mood. But those who did not take them had a significant rise in depression test scores.
The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Lead author Dr Jeffrey Meyer said: ‘We believe this is the first study to show such a strong, beneficial effect of an intervention in reducing baby blues at a time when post-partum sadness peaks.’