London - Many people turn to a big plate of pasta for comfort when they are feeling down – but new research suggests this could do more harm than good.
A study found that people who eat a lot of carbohydrates are more likely to be diagnosed with depression.
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health conducted a 12-year study into the relationship between carbohydrate consumption and depression.
They recruited 43 000 women with no history of depression and asked them about their diets, Medical Daily reports.
The results showed that women who eat a lot of red meat, pasta, bread and chips are between 29 and 41 percent more likely to develop depression.
It also found that those who consume olive oil, coffee, wine and fish are less likely to suffer from low moods.
The researchers were unable to say whether carbs caused depression – or if people simply turned to them when they felt low.
Previous research by Dr Judith Wurtman, a former scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and her husband, Dr Richard Wurtman, has suggested that people crave carbohydrates when the levels of the feel-good hormone, serotonin, fall in their brains – such as during that mid-afternoon slump.
“We discovered years and years ago that many people experience the ‘universal carbohydrate craving time’ between 3.30pm and 5pm every day,” WedMD reports.
“I suspect the tradition of English tea with its carb offering is a ritual developed to fill this need.”
However, other experts disagree with the Wurtmans. Dr Edward Abramson, a professor emeritus at California State University, believes people eat carbohydrates because they are already depressed – and turn to them as comfort food.
Previous research has also revealed that sugary food can exacerbate depression as it provides a “quick fix” – but then results in a sugar crash that can make people feel worse.
“We tend to crave sugary and fatty foods for a quick mood fix, but the sugar crash that follows could make you feel worse,” explains Helen Bond of the British Dietetic Association.
“Our mood is determined by a steady supply of energy from blood glucose to the brain.”
Helen Bond explained that to avoid depression people should try to eat foods that release energy slowly. – Daily Mail