Experts have long argued that white bread is low in essential nutrients and not as healthy as whole grain alternatives, but new research suggests that it could also be harmful to some people’s mental and emotional well-being.
Writing in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, study author Dr. James Gangwisch from Columbia University and his colleagues reported that white bread and rice could increase the risk of depression in older women, while whole grain foods and vegetables could reduce it.
According to The Telegraph and The Washington Post, the researchers studied data pertaining to more than 70,000 postmenopausal women from 1994 through 1998 and found a link between the consumption of refined carbohydrates, reduced blood sugar, and symptoms of depression.
Dr. Gangwisch’s team found that when the women consumed more refined grains and added sugars, their glycemic index (a measure of the rate at which a body can break down and absorb carbs) would rise and raise the risk of new-onset depression.
Hormonal changes to blame, according to authors
Conversely, those women who consumed a diet higher in dietary fiber, whole grains, vegetables, and non-juice fruits had a decreased risk of becoming depressed, leading the authors to conclude nutrition could be used to help prevent or treat depression.
Refined foods, they explained, could prompt hormone changes that cause a reduction of blood sugar levels in the body, causing a person to experience “sugar highs” and “crashes” on a more frequent basis. This could result in mood changes, fatigue, and other symptoms of depression.
Dr. Gangwisch and his co-authors told reporters that additional research is necessary in order to fully explore this possible new method of treating or preventing depression, and to see if similar outcomes can be observed in a larger sample of the population. The early results, however, seem to indicate that culinary choices could help a person’s emotional health.
Similar research conducted by a UK team last year found that eating fruits and vegetables each day was associated with improved mental well-being, according to CTV News. That study, which involved 14,000 participants, found that more than one-third of those who reported having good mental health said that they regularly ate five combined servings of those foods per day.
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