1.
Longitudinal relationship of diet and oxidative stress with depressive symptoms in patients with metabolic syndrome after following a weight loss treatment: the RESMENA project.
Perez-Cornago, A, Lopez-Legarrea, P, de la Iglesia, R, Lahortiga, F, Martinez, JA, Zulet, MA
Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland). 2014;(6):1061-7
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIM: Metabolic syndrome and depression seem to share some common underlying mechanisms, although less is known about the impact of metabolic syndrome dietary treatments on depression. This study examined the association between a hypocaloric treatment designed to reduce metabolic syndrome features in self-perceived depression and the potential involvement of dietary components and oxidative stress changes. METHODS Analyses were based on volunteers (n = 55) with metabolic syndrome (age 50 ± 1 y.o.; 38M/17F), where depressive symptoms were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory. Participants followed two hypocaloric diets (control diet and RESMENA diet) with the same energy restriction (-30% TCV) for six months. Depressive symptoms, dietary records, anthropometrical measurements, biochemical parameters and oxidative stress levels were analysed. RESULTS Both diets improved self-perceived depression similarly (p = 0.528). Participants with lower depressive symptoms at baseline reported a significantly higher intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (p trend = 0.002). Interestingly, after adjusting for potential confounders, the increase in folate consumption (p = 0.011) and the decrease in plasma malondialdehyde levels (p = 0.012) throughout the intervention, were associated with the improvement in depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS A higher intake of folate and a decline in malondialdehyde plasma levels during a weight loss intervention, were related to improvements in manifestations of depression (www.clinicaltrials.gov; NCT01087086).
2.
Metabolic syndrome improvement in depression six months after prescribing simple hygienic-dietary recommendations.
Garcia-Toro, M, Gili, M, Ibarra, O, Monzón, S, Vives, M, Garcia-Campayo, J, Gomez-Juanes, R, Roca, M
BMC research notes. 2014;:339
Abstract
BACKGROUND Changes in diet and exercise have been separately demonstrated to improve Depression, although scientific evidence available is scarce. In a previously published controlled study, just recommending these and other lifestyle measures (sleep restriction and sunlight exposure) in combination once, patients experienced improvements in their depressive symptoms six months later. In this sample, one in three depressive patients had metabolic syndrome (MetS) at baseline. First line treatment of MetS condition is hygienic-dietetic, being Mediterranean diet and exercise especially important. Therefore we analyzed if lifestyle recommendations also improved their metabolic profile. FINDINGS During the sixth month evaluation, a smaller number of patients from the group receiving hygienic-dietary recommendations met MetS criteria comparing with the control group. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that costless lifestyle recommendations, such as exercise and Mediterranean diet, have the capacity to promote both mental and physical health in a significant proportion of depressive patients. Further research is needed to confirm or discard these preliminary findings.