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   Eating refined carbs linked to depression in women: Study   
      
   August 10, 2015   
      
      
   Islamabad - Eating highly refined carbohydrates after menopause is associated   
   with increased risk for depression in women, according to a new study.   
      
   It's part of an increasing body of evidence pointing to a close relationship   
   between diet and mental health.   
   Refined foods including soda, sweets and white rice ultimately reduce blood   
   sugar levels, which could lead to mood changes and fatigue, say the   
   researchers.   
      
   Carbohydrates' effect on blood sugar levels is highly variable, and a measure   
   called glycemic index (GI) is used to distinguish foods from one another on   
   these terms.   
      
   The GI measures how much sugar remains in the blood after eating.   
   It ranges from zero to 100, and the highly refined carbohydrates tend to have   
   a higher GI.   
      
   Glycemic load (GL) is a measure used to estimate how much an individual's   
   blood glucose level will spike after eating a particular food.   
   GL is based on the GI and is determined by multiplying the grams of   
   carbohydrates in the food times the GI.   
      
   Working with data from over 70,000 postmenopausal women, the research team   
   from Columbia University Medical Center assessed their diets for GI and GL,   
   taking into account the types of carbohydrates consumed.   
      
   Weighing nutrition data against incidence of depression within their   
   participant group, the researchers uncovered an association between a   
   progressively higher GI and increasing odds of depression.   
      
   What's more, they found that consuming lactose, fibre, natural fruits and   
   vegetables was strongly associated with a reduced risk of depression.   
      
   Researchers note that further investigation is required in the area but the   
   findings could eventually have key implications for emerging evidence   
   suggesting that dietary interventions could help treat and prevent depression.   
      
   Last year, a UK team found that eating five servings of fruits and vegetables   
   per day was associated with better mental well-being.   
   Working with over 14,000 participants the researchers concluded that 33.   
   5 percent of those with high mental well-being reported getting their   
   five-a-day.   
      
   The same team found in 2012 that mental well-being peaked at seven portions   
   per day of fruits and vegetables.   
      
   Polluted air raises risk of developing dementia: research   
   People who live in homes exposed more heavily to pollution run a 40 percent   
   greater risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia than   
   those who live in areas with cleaner air, a study by researchers at Umea   
   University has found.   
      
   "In total, about 16 percent of all the cases of dementia in the study might   
   have been caused by exposure to pollution," participating researcher Bertil   
   Forsberg told the daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter, describing the results as   
   "sensational," Medical    
   Xpress reported.   
      
   The study concluded thatnearly 2,000 people over a 15-year span while   
   simultaneously tracking traffic patterns in the northern Swedish city of Umea.   
   All participants were 55 or older and free of any disease symptoms when the   
   study began.   
      
   The researchers established the elevated risk having controlled for factors   
   such as age, education level, lifestyle and body fat, Forsberg said.   
   While previous research linked air pollution to cancer, asthma and respiratory   
   diseases, academics have in recent years begun to probe how air quality   
   affects the brain.   
      
   "We know that very small particles can enter the brain through the olfactory   
   nerve and cause direct damage," Forsberg said.   
      
      
      
   http://nation.com.pk/islamabad/10-Aug-2015/eating-refined-carbs-   
   inked-to-depression-in-women-study   
      
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