Going too far with a diet might have serious impacts on your mental health, SİA informs via CNN.
Cutting your calories down too far could be linked with worse depression symptoms, new research suggests.
A study published Tuesday in the journal BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health looked at data from more than 28,000 adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which surveyed participants on their diet quality and depressive symptoms.
People who followed a calorie-restrictive diet, particularly men and people with a body mass index considered overweight, were more likely to have higher symptoms of depression, according to the data.
Quality of diet also mattered. People who reported a diet with more ultraprocessed foods, refined carbs, saturated fats, processed meats and sweets were more likely to report higher levels of depression and those who ate more of a Mediterranean-style diet generally had lower risk of depression, the study showed.
“The findings suggest caution with overly restrictive or unbalanced diets, particularly for people already experiencing weight-related stress or challenges,” said lead study author Dr. Venkat Bhat, psychiatrist, clinician-researcher and director of the Interventional Psychiatry Program at St. Michael’s Hospital and University of Toronto.
Instead, Bhat suggests “opting for balanced, sustainable dietary changes that meet nutritional needs and consider individual psychological impacts may help minimize potential negative effects on mood.”
There are some limitations to consider when looking at the results. The design of the study can only show associations, not definitively say that calorie restriction causes an increase in depression symptoms, Bhat said.
In addition, the study surveyed people on their dietary patterns, which leaves room for error, said Dr. Kary Woodruff, associate professor (lecturer) and director of the nutrition and integrated physiology department’s coordinated master’s program at the University of Utah. She was not involved in the research.
“I could think I am on a calorie-restricted diet when in fact I may be in a calorie surplus — there’s no way to verify participant’s calorie-restriction status,” Woodruff said.
The study is large and controlled for other factors that could drive the associations found, but its findings contrast with those of previous studies around the topic of calorie restriction and depression, Bhat said.
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