Depression linked to low fruit intake

Women who eat fewer than two servings of fruit a day face a greater risk of developing depression, University of Queensland research shows.

The University of Queensland School of Population Health’s Professor Gita Mishra said the findings of a six-year study of more than 6000 Australian women revealed a clear link between fruit consumption and the development of depressive symptoms.

“We found that women who ate at least two servings of fruit a day were less likely to suffer from depression than women who ate fewer servings, even after taking into account other factors such as smoking, alcohol, body mass index, physical activity, marital status and education,” Professor Mishra said.

“We also found that eating two or more servings of fruit a day protected women from developing depression in the future.”

Professor Mishra said researchers had not found a link between vegetable intake and depression.

For more on the research, visit the University of Queensland website.