Mood-Boosting Nuts: Daily Intake Can Help Prevent Depression

No matter if it’s peanuts in a bar, walnuts in a salad, or a delicious trail mix, the majority of people enjoy nuts. As they may provide an unanticipated mental health benefit, there is now an even greater reason to go nuts for them. More than 13,500 British adults aged 37 to 73 who had no symptoms of depression at the onset of the study were analyzed by researchers. It was documented that participants consumed unadulterated nuts like almonds, cashews, and pistachios, salted or roasted nuts, and peanuts.

During a five-year period of observation, 8% of the participants had been diagnosed with depression. Low to moderate nut intake, corresponding to up to one 30-gram serving per day, was associated with a 17% lower incidence of depression in comparison with those who did not eat nuts. The results were independent of other lifestyle and health factors, according to the researchers, who speculated that the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of almonds on the brain may be the cause.

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Nuts Linked to Lower Depression Risk: Study Highlights Benefits of Regular Consumption

Author Bruno Bizzozero-Peroni of the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain stated, “Our findings highlight yet another benefit of eating nuts, with a 17% reduction in depression linked to nut consumption.”This serves an even more compelling reason for individuals becoming enthusiastic about eating almonds. The team wrote in the journal Clinical Nutrition, This study examined the prospective link between the intake of nuts and the risk of developing depression in an extensive population of middle-aged and older adults in the United Kingdom. 

The primary finding is that low-to-moderate consumption of nuts on a regular basis is associated with a lower risk of depression when compared to non-nut consumption. Our findings emphasize the potential role of nut consumption as a healthy dietary behavior in preventing depression in those without other known risk factors for depression, such as obesity, unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, loneliness, and medical conditions. Since diet is a controllable lifestyle factor, future long-term clinical trials should assess whether nut consumption is an effective strategy for preventing adult depression. A 30g portion of nuts contains approximately 20 almonds, 10 Brazil nuts, 15 cashews, 40 peanuts, or 30 pistachio grains.

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Source: Daily Mail