Healthy diet can ease symptoms of depression

I have not gotten a chance to skim the 50+ page article (which is open access - click "article as PDF"), but this seems telling:

Sixteen eligible trials with outcome data for 45,826 participants were included; the majority of which examined samples with non-clinical depression.

This is expanded in the discussion section,

However, only one of the 16 trials
used a sample with primary diagnosis of clinical depression (17), with all the remaining 15 studies
investigating effects of dietary interventions on symptoms of depression in non-clinical depression samples.

In short, it may be helpful for reducing symptoms of depression among people who don't have depression.

shaumom wrote: »

aokoye wrote: »

In short, it may be helpful for reducing symptoms of depression among people who don't have depression.

From what I've seen, the studies on diet and depression have one major issue that plagues a lot of mental health studies: mental health diagnostic flaws, and not compensating for them.

It's not uncommon, sadly, for medical health professionals to diagnose patients with mental illness due to a lack of other diagnoses - there is a good quote that holds true, basically that in days of old, witchcraft was blamed for physical illness that had no known cause. In modern times, mental illness gets the blame.

'I don't know what this patient has' has been one source of mental illness diagnoses that is not often explored by the mental health field. However, if you look at patients who have illness that causes any type of vague distress (apathy, generalized pain, worries about 'weird' symptoms, difficulty focusing, even simply fatigue), it's pretty common to find that many of them have been previously, erroneously, diagnosed with a mental illness. Over 40% of auto-immune disease patients surveyed had doctors tell them that their symptoms were depression/anxiety/all in their heads, before they got their accurate diagnosis, for example.

This problem with mental health diagnoses, however, is pretty much ignored by mental health research. It is extremely rare that mental health research goes hand in hand with a physical work up to ensure the original diagnosis was correct.

But considering that things like food allergies, food intolerances, an nutritional deficiencies have all been shown to affect the brain, which means dietary changes can improve things? And that all of these are known to be missed, sometimes, and categorized as mental health ONLY?

It makes me wonder how many of the people who improve with diet are having their mental health improve with dietary intervention, or instead having their physical health, which impacted their mental health, improve with diet changes.

Agreed. I think another aspect is that, depression is extremely varied - both with regards to its potential causes and it's potential efficacious treatments. For better or worse, the authors of this article were conducting a meta-analysis as opposed to gathering their own data and they seemed pretty clear (in what little I read), in a. the meta-analysis' shortcomings and b. it not being especially valuable for a clinically depressed population.

They say it loud and clear multiple places,

A key issue in clinical-applicability of our findings is the lack of studies in clinically-depressed samples
meaning that the majority of evidence of dietary interventions reducing depressive symptoms only applies to
non-clinical depression to date.

One of the issues in the lay dissemination of this paper's results is that people are going to want to say "this study has show that diet treats depression" when that's not actually what they intended nor what they said. Symptoms of depression ≠ depression.

As someone who has depression, I find diet makes no difference to it. Neither does exercise, usually because I'm too depressed to exercise when I'm in a depressive period.

I exercise when I'm feeling good however that doesn't prevent depressive episodes.

TrishSeren wrote: »

As someone who has depression, I find diet makes no difference to it. Neither does exercise, usually because I'm too depressed to exercise when I'm in a depressive period.

I exercise when I'm feeling good however that doesn't prevent depressive episodes.

Came here to say the same thing. Diagnosed with both depression and anxiety, currently in treatment (no meds). Been doing better eating and getting out. No noticeable effect on either diagnosis. I lose interest in eating when an episode hits.

Yeah I suppose I didn't add that diet and exercise? No effect on my depression. None. Regular exercise is one of many metrics that my therapist and I can use to look at how well I'm functioning, but we both are well aware that it doesn't come close to easing my symptoms.

Therapy is invaluable, meds are not effective for me, exercise makes me feel good physically, and diet does as well. That doesn't even taken into account the importance of the type of therapy and the therapeutic relationship.

Depression can be a terrible, a soul and life destroying thing. I have been there for about 15 years: our dear son George Paul died shortly after birth and eventually I fell into a deep, black hole. Different medications were subscribed to me but tablets don't always heal the inner pain and desolation. Some people starve themselves, I stuffed my face until I ended up on 170 kg (375 pounds) and started to have difficulties walking short distances. I believe that I was one of the lucky ones - somehow in my foggy stupor I realized that I had to heal myself from within and over 6 months I slowly reduced the medication and eventually was able to stop it all together. During the next 18 months my life became more balanced, more "normal". Eventually I knew it was time to do something about my weight, my basic fitness. I started with MFP nearly one year ago, in March 2018 and so far I have lost about 30 kg (65 pounds). I try to go for a walk every second day and usually walk for an hour and that very slowly - but at least I can walk again. I don't fit into / onto most machines at the gym yet, but I do pool aerobics which I love. I feel like a rhinoceros and have a "whale" of a time - floating, most of my weight gone. I still have a long way to go - maybe 50 kg (110 pounds) or so, but time is on my side and time does heal. I have learned to trust the MFP calculations and I have learned so much from fellow members, their advise, encouragement, positive attitude and inspirations. I prepare a simple meal plan for the next day and take it day by day, meal by meal. I have learned about my specific trigger foods (bread!!!) and what situations best to avoid. I am still picking up new ideas and I learn something new for myself every single day. For me "diets" are not the answer but a healthy, balanced meal plan is something I can and will live with long term. To be on the save side I have done blood tests and I am under doctor's supervision. So far this specific approach has worked for me and I believe that everyone has to find his or her own unique program they can comfortably live with.