If you eat a lot of this in your 40s, you'll be less likely to suffer from depression when you're older.

As our society ages, symptoms of geriatric depression are on the rise. Symptoms of geriatric depression include depressed mood, lack of pleasure, cognitive processing delays, and decreased voluntary activity, often accompanied by loss of appetite, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, and increased fatigue.

A study published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging found that consuming enough fruit in middle age may help alleviate symptoms of depression later in life.

 

Researchers at the National University of Singapore's Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS School of Medicine) followed 13,738 participants in the large-scale population-based Singapore Chinese Health Study for approximately 20 years, from middle age to old age. In the initial phase of the study, from 1993 to 1998, when the average age was 51, participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire about how often they consumed 14 servings of fruit and 25 servings of vegetables daily. In 2014 to 2016, when the average age was 73, they assessed depressive symptoms using a standardized test (the Geriatric Depression Scale). 3,180 participants (23.1%) who reported five or more symptoms were considered to have depression.

The study found that participants who consumed more fruit in childhood were less likely to experience depressive symptoms later in life. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, such as medical history, smoking status, physical activity level, sleep duration, and age-related factors, higher fruit intake (but not vegetables) was associated with a stepwise reduction in the likelihood of depressive symptoms.

 

The link between fruit and depression stems from the high levels of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory micronutrients found in fruits (e.g., vitamin C, carotenoids, and flavonoids), which reduce oxidative stress and suppress inflammatory processes in the body that may contribute to the development of depression. Vegetable consumption, on the other hand, was not associated with an increased risk of depressive symptoms.

 

Professor Koh Won-Pui, director of the Healthy Longevity Transition Research Program at NUS Medical School, said: “Our study highlights the importance of fruit consumption as a preventive measure against age-related depression. In our study population, participants who ate three or more servings of fruit per day had at least a 21% reduced risk of age-related depression compared to those who ate less than one serving per day.”

 

“This can be achieved by eating one to two servings of fruit after each meal, and we found no difference in results between fruits with a high and low glycemic index,” he said. “People with diabetes can choose low-glycemic index fruits, which do not raise blood sugar levels as much as high-glycemic index fruits,” he added.

 

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Now we know that we should always eat vegetables and fruits often.

You should eat fruit before a meal rather than after a meal.

 

Fruits are especially good for those who are managing their blood sugar levels.

You have to be careful

 

I do take vitamin supplements, but

Food intake is important, so long as it is not excessive.

It seems like it would be very helpful for your health.

 

Even those who don't eat fruits and vegetables,

Gradually get used to the eating habit