Nutritional intervention beats social support in a recent study on depression. 32.3% achieve remission vs 8% social.
The first randomized controlled trial comparing a nutritional intervention with social support in the treatment of major depression found that 32.3% of participants that improved diet quality went into remission compared to 8% or people treated with social support.
The dietary group received information and assistance to improve the quality of their current diets, with a focus on increasing the consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, fish, lean red meats, olive oil and nuts, while reducing their consumption of sweets, refined cereals, fried food, fast-food, processed meats and sugary drinks.
Enjoying this research? Get deeper insights like this delivered every other week.
Every other week our Premium Members receive deep dives like this alongside Rhonda's commentary and 8+ other hand-picked papers.
I also think that the underlying mechanisms causing depression have a lot to do with inflammation, which can result from poor nutrition, emotional/social stress, sedentary lifestyle, poor sleep etc.