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.