• 2021-04-14
    EatingaMediterraneanstylediet-packedwithvegetables,legumes(豆类),nuts,oliveoilandfish–isgoodforyourheart,manystudieshavefoundNowscientistsaresuggestingthedietmaybegoodforyourmentalhealth,too.
    Astudyofover10,000SpaniardsfollowedforalmostfourandhalfyearsonaveragefoundthatthosewhoreportedeatingahealthyMediterraneandietatthebeginningofthestudywereabouthalfaslikelytodevelopdepressionthanthosewhosaidtheydidnotsticktothediet
    Alloftheparticipantswerefreeofwhentheywererecruitedtothestudy,andeachfilledouta136-itemfoodfrequencyquestionnairewhentheyjoined.Basedontheirself-reporteddietaryhabits,theywereassignedascorebetween0and9,withthehighestscorereflectingthecloseststickingtoaMediterraneandiet.
    Overtime,thosewhohadscoredbetween5and9ontheMediterraneandietwere42percentto51percentlesslikelytodevelopdepression,thestudyfound,thanthosewhoscoredbetween0and2.
    Thestudydoesnotproveacause-and-effectrelationshipbetweentheMediterraneandietandalowerriskfordepression,onlyanassociationbetweenthetwo.Still,manyscientistsareconvincedthatsomedamagingprocessesinvolvedincardiovascular(心血管的)diseasemayalsoplayaroleinmentalhealth.
    “Bothcardiovasculardiseaseanddepressionsharecommonmechanisms,”saidDr.MiguelAngelMartinez-Gonzalez,professorofpreventivemedicineatUniversityofNavarrainPamplona,Spain,andseniorauthorofthepaper,publishedIntheOctoberissueofArchivesofGeneralPsychiatry.
    “Themembrane(细胞膜)ofournervecellarecomposedoffat,sothequalityoffatyouareeatingdefinitelyhasaninfluenceonthequalityoftheneuronmembranes,andthebody’scombinationofneurotransmittersisdependentonthevitaminsyou’reeating,”Dr.Martinez-Gonzalezadded.“WethinkthoseleaststickingtotheMediterraneandietaryplanhaveadeficiencyofessentialnutrients.”
    Theelementsofthedietmostcloselylinkedtoalowerriskofdepressionwerefruits,nutsandlegumes,thestudyfound.
    ScientistshaveprovedthataMediterranean-stylediet.