Protecting the brain health of an aging population
As the population ages, there has been an increase in the prevalence of late-life depressive symptoms among older adults such as lack of pleasure, delayed cognitive processing, and reduced volitional activity that is often accompanied by insomnia, poor concentration, increased fatigue, and loss of appetite. This increase has been related to underlying neurodegenerative changes in the brain associated with aging.
There has been much emphasis placed on the need to keep older adults in good health which has spurred extensive research into approaches that could prevent late-life depression, as such, accumulating evidence has revealed the role of dietary factors in protecting against depression in aging. How could specific diet or food items consumed earlier in life have an impact on mental well-being in later years?
The study
This 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 tracked participants through their midlife to later life spanning about 20 years. The researchers found that participants who consumed higher quantities of fruits earlier in life exhibited a reduced likelihood of experiencing depressive symptoms later in life.
What they found
The team investigated 14 of the most commonly consumed fruits and 25 vegetables in Singapore. The analysis revealed that the consumption of most fruits, including oranges, tangerines, bananas, papayas, watermelons, apples, and honey melons, was associated with a reduced likelihood of depression.
The association may be due to the high levels of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory micronutrients found within the fruits such as vitamin C, carotenoids, and flavonoids, which have been shown to reduce oxidative stress and inhibit inflammatory processes in the body that may affect the development of depression.
While the consumption of fruits was positive, the consumption of vegetables, on the other hand, was found to have no association with the likelihood of depressive symptoms.
The importance of eating fruit for brain health
“Our study underscores the importance of fruit consumption as a preventive measure against ageing-related depression. In our study population, 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%. This can be achieved by eating one to two servings of fruits after every meal. We did not see any difference in our results between fruits with high and low glycemic index. Hence, for those with diabetes, they can choose fruits with low glycemic index that will not raise blood sugars as much as those with high index,” said Professor Koh Woon Puay from the Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme at NUS Medicine and Principal Investigator of the study.
“Our study aimed to examine the relationship of mid-life consumption of fruits and vegetables with the risk of depressive symptoms in late life. Although other studies have also examined the associations of fruits and vegetables with risk of depression, there are inconsistencies in the results, and many of them were done in Western populations. To our best knowledge, ours is the largest population-based study in an Asian population to study this association,” added Koh.
What this means
According to the researchers, these findings suggest that promoting fruit consumption for individuals in mid-adulthood, defined as ages 40 to 65 years, could promote long-term benefits for mental well-being in late adulthood beyond 65 years. The results hold significant implications for public health education and initiatives to make fruits more accessible to the general population.
Moving forward, the team has plans to investigate other possible associations of other modifiable behavioral factors, such as sleep duration, smoking, and other dietary factors, with the mental health of older adults.
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