In a large Singapore cohort study involving over 13,000 participants spanning close to 20 years, higher consumption of fruits during midlife was found to be associated with lower odds of depressive symptoms at late-life.
In a large Singapore cohort study involving over 13,000 participants spanning close to 20 years, higher consumption of fruits during midlife was found to be associated with lower odds of depressive symptoms at late-life.
Populations are rapidly ageing worldwide, and there is an increased prevalence of late-life depressive symptoms among older adults, which include depressed feelings, lack of pleasure, delayed cognitive processing and reduced volitional activity, often accompanied by loss of appetite, insomnia, poor concentration, and increased fatigue. This has been related to underlying neurodegenerative changes in the brain associated with ageing. The growing imperative to keep older adults in good health has spurred extensive research into approaches that could prevent late-life depression, and accumulating evidence has revealed the plausible role of dietary factors in protecting against depression in ageing. Could specific diet or food items consumed earlier in life have an impact on mental well-being in later years?
In a longitudinal study conducted by the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), involving 13,738 participants from the large population-based Singapore Chinese Health Study that tracked participants through their midlife to later life spanning about 20 years, researchers found that participants who consumed higher quantities of fruits earlier in life exhibited a reduced likelihood of experiencing depressive symptoms later in life.
Read more at National University of Singapore, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
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