We all know that your diet can impact your mental health, but it turns out that a surprisingly sweet treat could be the secret weapon against late-life blues.

Since the recently unveiled ‘miracle pill’ that boosts serotonin by 250% might still be a way off — and hitherto promised 1-day-depression-cures have been, how shall we say, hit and miss — the news that a surprisingly sweet and easily accessible treat could be the answer to fending off adult depression could be exciting for many.

As populations around the world age and age fast, the prevalence of late-life depression is growing along with it. Persistent sadness, inability to experience pleasure, cognitive delays, and physical fatigue are just some of the symptoms plaguing many older adults. Traditional approaches have long focused on medication (which can sometimes compound rather than relieve those symptoms) and therapy but emerging research points to diet as a key to mental health, and now a sweet treat has come to the fore.

20 Years Of Data

A new longitudinal study undertaken by the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore tracked the dietary habits and mental health outcomes of 13,738 people over the course of two decades. Looking for dietary factors that could help mitigate the risk of depressive symptoms in older adults, their findings were recently published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging.

Participants provided detailed dietary information during their middle-aged years. When these participants later reached an average age of 73, their mental health was assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale. No surprise, their study revealed a stellar correlation: those who indulged in higher fruit consumption in mid-life were significantly less likely to experience depressive symptoms in their later years.

Fruit And Mental Health

While both fruits and vegetables are recommended for their health benefits — we all remember being force-fed veggies as a child on pain of de*ath, right? — this study found that the consumption of fruits, specifically, had a protective effect against depression. The authors examined 14 commonly consumed fruits, such as oranges, bananas, and papayas, and discovered that almost all of them were associated with a reduced likelihood of depression. Professor Koh Woon Puay, Principal Investigator, explained:

“Participants who had at least three servings of fruits a day, compared to those with less than one serving a day, reduced their likelihood of ageing-related depression by at least 21%.”

Researchers speculate that the high levels of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients in fruits, such as vitamin C and flavonoids, may reduce stress and inflammation, both of which are linked to depression. In a bad news day for parents around the world, the study found no similar association with vegetable consumption, suggesting that fruits offer unique benefits for mental health and that getting your child to choke down Brussels sprouts may not be all it’s cracked up to be…