Following low-calorie diet could make you depressed, major study finds
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Study raises doubt about benefit of low-calorie diet
- A new study has found that following a low-calorie diet could increase the risk of developing symptoms of depression, particularly in men and overweight individuals.
- Canadian researchers analysed data from 28,525 participants in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), noting that nearly 8 per cent reported depressive symptoms.
- The study found that depressive symptom scores were higher among those restricting calories, which contradicts previous studies that suggested low-calorie diets improve depressive symptoms.
- Researchers suggest that real-life calorie-restricted diets can lead to nutritional deficiencies and physiological stress, exacerbating depressive symptoms, unlike controlled trials with balanced diets.
- Professor Sumantra Ray said that the study raises questions about restrictive diets lacking nutrients beneficial for cognitive health and that further well-designed studies are needed.