TY - JOUR
T1 - A Mediterranean-style dietary intervention supplemented with fish oil improves diet quality and mental health in people with depression: A randomized controlled trial (HELFIMED)
AU - Parletta, Natalie
AU - Zarnowiecki, Dorota
AU - Cho, Jihyun
AU - Wilson, Amy
AU - Bogomolova, Svetlana
AU - Villani, Anthony
AU - Itsiopoulos, Catherine
AU - Niyonsenga, Theo
AU - Blunden, Sarah
AU - Meyer, Barbara
AU - Segal, Leonie
AU - Baune, Bernhard T.
AU - O’Dea, Kerin
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by National Health and Medical Research Council Program Grant funding (# 631947). NP (formerly Sinn), DZ and AW are supported by National Health and Medical Research Council Program Grant funding (# 320860 and 631947). SBo is supported by Australian Research Council DECRA funding (# DE130101577).
Funding Information:
This study was supported by National Health and Medical Research Council Program Grant funding (# 631947). NP (formerly Sinn), DZ and AW are supported by National Health and Medical Research Council Program Grant funding (# 320860 and 631947). SBo is supported by Australian Research Council DECRA funding (# DE130101577). We are grateful to all participants who took part in the study; Caitlin Moss, Thomas Butler, Haruka Ishimoto and Lucy Fairlie-Jones for their assistance with cooking workshops and social groups; Judith Lukas and the School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences for use of the commercial kitchen. Epax, Pathway International, Cobram Estate, John West, Edgell and Simplot provided in-kind supply of fish oil capsules, extra virgin olive oil and food hamper/cooking workshop items (legumes, tuna, tinned tomatoes), respectively; Tony & Marks provided fruit, vegetables and nuts at wholesale prices. The funders played no role in the study design or publication of results.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2019/7/3
Y1 - 2019/7/3
N2 - Objectives: We investigated whether a Mediterranean-style diet (MedDiet) supplemented with fish oil can improve mental health in adults suffering depression. Methods: Adults with self-reported depression were randomized to receive fortnightly food hampers and MedDiet cooking workshops for 3 months and fish oil supplements for 6 months, or attend social groups fortnightly for 3 months. Assessments at baseline, 3 and 6 months included mental health, quality of life (QoL) and dietary questionnaires, and blood samples for erythrocyte fatty acid analysis. Results:n = 152 eligible adults aged 18–65 were recruited (n = 95 completed 3-month and n = 85 completed 6-month assessments). At 3 months, the MedDiet group had a higher MedDiet score (t = 3.95, P <0.01), consumed more vegetables (t = 3.95, P <0.01), fruit (t = 2.10, P = 0.04), nuts (t = 2.29, P = 0.02), legumes (t = 2.41, P = 0.02) wholegrains (t = 2.63, P = 0.01), and vegetable diversity (t = 3.27, P <0.01); less unhealthy snacks (t = −2.10, P = 0.04) and red meat/chicken (t = −2.13, P = 0.04). The MedDiet group had greater reduction in depression (t = −2.24, P = 0.03) and improved mental health QoL scores (t = 2.10, P = 0.04) at 3 months. Improved diet and mental health were sustained at 6 months. Reduced depression was correlated with an increased MedDiet score (r = −0.298, P = 0.01), nuts (r = −0.264, P = 0.01), and vegetable diversity (r = −0.303, P = 0.01). Other mental health improvements had similar correlations, most notably for increased vegetable diversity and legumes. There were some correlations between increased omega-3, decreased omega-6 and improved mental health. Discussion: This is one of the first randomized controlled trials to show that healthy dietary changes are achievable and, supplemented with fish oil, can improve mental health in people with depression.
AB - Objectives: We investigated whether a Mediterranean-style diet (MedDiet) supplemented with fish oil can improve mental health in adults suffering depression. Methods: Adults with self-reported depression were randomized to receive fortnightly food hampers and MedDiet cooking workshops for 3 months and fish oil supplements for 6 months, or attend social groups fortnightly for 3 months. Assessments at baseline, 3 and 6 months included mental health, quality of life (QoL) and dietary questionnaires, and blood samples for erythrocyte fatty acid analysis. Results:n = 152 eligible adults aged 18–65 were recruited (n = 95 completed 3-month and n = 85 completed 6-month assessments). At 3 months, the MedDiet group had a higher MedDiet score (t = 3.95, P <0.01), consumed more vegetables (t = 3.95, P <0.01), fruit (t = 2.10, P = 0.04), nuts (t = 2.29, P = 0.02), legumes (t = 2.41, P = 0.02) wholegrains (t = 2.63, P = 0.01), and vegetable diversity (t = 3.27, P <0.01); less unhealthy snacks (t = −2.10, P = 0.04) and red meat/chicken (t = −2.13, P = 0.04). The MedDiet group had greater reduction in depression (t = −2.24, P = 0.03) and improved mental health QoL scores (t = 2.10, P = 0.04) at 3 months. Improved diet and mental health were sustained at 6 months. Reduced depression was correlated with an increased MedDiet score (r = −0.298, P = 0.01), nuts (r = −0.264, P = 0.01), and vegetable diversity (r = −0.303, P = 0.01). Other mental health improvements had similar correlations, most notably for increased vegetable diversity and legumes. There were some correlations between increased omega-3, decreased omega-6 and improved mental health. Discussion: This is one of the first randomized controlled trials to show that healthy dietary changes are achievable and, supplemented with fish oil, can improve mental health in people with depression.
KW - Depression
KW - Fish oil
KW - Intervention
KW - Mediterranean diet
KW - Mental health
KW - Omega-3
KW - Omega-6
KW - Quality of life
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85038010724&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.mendeley.com/research/mediterraneanstyle-dietary-intervention-supplemented-fish-oil-improves-diet-quality-mental-health-pe-2
U2 - 10.1080/1028415X.2017.1411320
DO - 10.1080/1028415X.2017.1411320
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85038010724
SN - 1476-8305
VL - 22
SP - 474
EP - 487
JO - Nutritional Neuroscience
JF - Nutritional Neuroscience
IS - 7
ER -