New science shows eating more fruit reduces risk of later-life depression. The researchers say their stunning results may be associated with antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. But the evidence they’ve digested, from 20 years of stats, is conclusive…
An Asian Fruit Market: They already know – instinctively –
the value of eating more fruit. At all times of life!
What they did
The team, at the National University of Singapore, wanted to see whether simple dietary modifica-tions could effect the risk of depression in older folks. Statistics already showed, the risk increases significantly with age.
So they accessed and analysed data on 13,738 participants from the large population Singapore Chinese Health Study. It tracked subjects through mid-life to later life spanning about 20 years, recording a number of physical and emotional statistics.
What they found
Simply put, participants who consumed higher quantities of fruits earlier in life exhibited a reduced likelihood of experiencing depressive symptoms later in life.
The team looked at 14 different fruits, and a 25 common vegetables. They found that the consump-tion of most fruits – including oranges, tangerines, bananas, papayas, watermelons, apple and honey melon – starting in mid-life, was associated with reduced likelihood of depression in later life.
Professor Koh Woon Puay, principle investigato0r on the study, said: “Participants who had at least 3 servings of fruits a day, compared to those with less than one serving a day, were able to reduce the likelihood of ageing-related depression significantly, by at least 21 percent. This can be achieved by eating one to two servings of fruits after every meal.”
One surprising result: They did not find the same positive result associated with greater consumption of vegetables.
The takeaway
A digest of the report’s findings notes: “The study’s results hold significant implications for public health education and initiatives to make fruits more accessible for the general population.”
My take
What could be simpler than adding a few servings of fruit to your diet every day? I don’t so do regularly, but I do eat fruit every couple of days or so.
Alas, fresh fruit is really expensive these days. Researching another post, I discovered that a single Macintosh apple is selling for a princely $1.32 today, at my go-to, neighbourhood supermarket.
But I have some other dietary items that I can downgrade from ‘daily indulgences’ to ‘occasional treats’, and a couple I can drop from my shopping list altogether, if I have to, to fit ‘daily fruit’ into the budget…
~ Maggie J.