AsianScientist (Aug. 16, 2024) –An apple—or more—a day could actually keep late-life depression away. New research from National University of Singapore (NUS) shows that increasing fruit intake in earlier years could reduce the odds of experiencing age-related depression among Asians. The research was published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging.
Aging often coincides with other chronic diseases or cognitive decline, which can worsen the severity of depression. With the growing need to support the health of older adults among a rapidly aging world population, scientists have been on the lookout for modifiable behavior that can be practiced earlier in life to protect mental well-being in our golden years.
One popular strategy has been to include more fruits and vegetables in diets. These foods pack antioxidants and anti-inflammatory micronutrients like vitamin C, carotenoids and flavonoids, which can help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation—both linked to a higher risk of developing depression. However, existing epidemiological evidence to support this has been contradicting and largely focused on Western populations.
To address that challenge, the current study looked into the data from 13,738 participants of the Singapore Chinese Health Study, which followed individuals from midlife to later life over the course of nearly two decades. The researchers studied the impact of daily consumption of 14 fruits and 25 vegetables, recorded at the start of the study. After an average follow-up of 19.6 years, they assessed participants’ mental health using the Geriatric Depression Scale, identifying 3,180 individuals with five or more symptoms of depression.
Analyses were conducted only after adjusting for other factors that could potentially influence depression such as medical history, smoking status, level of physical activity and sleep duration.
“In our study population, participants who had at least three servings of fruits a day, compared to those with less than one serving a day, were able to reduce the likelihood of aging-related depression significantly by at least 21%,” said lead researcher Woon-Puay Koh, a professor at NUS Medicine. “Our study underscores the importance of fruit consumption as a preventive measure against aging-related depression.”
Koh added that the mental health benefits applied to fruits with both low and high glycemic index, allowing individuals with diabetes to opt for fruits with a lower sugar content.
Eating vegetables, on the other hand, showed no association with depression risk. The authors suggested that this could be because fruits are typically eaten raw as snacks, while vegetables are cooked. The heat from cooking could change the bioavailability and activity of the nutrients in vegetables, potentially limiting their protective effects against depression.
As the largest population-based study in Asia to explore the link between mid-life fruit and vegetable consumption and the likelihood of developing depression later in life, these findings have significant implications for public education and efforts to improve access to fruits for the general population.
Looking ahead, Koh’s team plans to take a closer look at the specific micronutrients and the mechanisms that enable fruits to preserve mental health as we grow older.
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Source: National University of Singapore ; Image: Shutterstock
The article can be found at Association between consumption of fruits and vegetables in midlife and depressive symptoms in late life: the Singapore Chinese Health Study.
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