Mediterranean Diet Can Reduce Male Depression: New Study
Updated May 25th 2022
Symptoms of depression in young men were significantly improved after switching to a Mediterranean Diet, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Results of the 12 week randomized trial – good news for lovers of The Mediterranean Diet – highlight the important role of nutrition for the treatment of depression. According to the study – conducted by researchers at the University Technology of Sydney (Australia) – they should:
“Inform advice given by clinicians to this specific demographic population.”
How The Mediterranean Diet Can Help Beat Depression In Young Men
Principal Investigator on the study, Jessica Bayes, says the findings are the first randomized clinical trial that evaluates the impact of a Mediterranean Diet on the symptoms of depression in young men (18 – 25 years old).
According to a report in The Gal Times , the study contributes to the emerging field of nutritional psychiatry, which aims to explore the effect certain nutrients, foods, and dietary patterns may have on mental health.
“The main objective was to increase the quality of the diet with fresh, whole foods and reduce your intake of “fast” foods, sugar, and processed red meat,” says Bayes.
“There are many reasons why scientifically we think that food affects mood–continues–. For example, about 90% of serotonin, a chemical that helps us feel happy, is produced in our gut by our gut microbes. There is growing evidence that these microbes can communicate with the brain through the vagus nerve, in what is called the gut-brain axis
For microbes to be beneficial, we have to feed them fiber, which is found in legumes, fruits and vegetables,” he adds.
The Mediterranean Diet And Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is probably the most extensively researched foodstuff on the planet and the health benefits are evidence based. Thanks to the recent spotlight on the Mediterranean Diet, extensive research has been done on the phytonutrient composition of olive oil. What has been discovered is an extensive list of phytonutrients; one of the most praised is its polyphenols. The amount of polyphenols found in extra virgin olive oil is truly amazing!
Five Ways Extra Virgin Olive Oil Boost Men’s Wellbeing
The Best Olive Oil For Men’s Health:
If you are a man or care about the health of a man you know and would like to include more of the best olive oil in your diet, this article is for you!
At Morocco Gold, we have collected a lot of science and nutritional advice linking the best extra virgin olive oils with improved outcomes for many health conditions affecting men.
In a report dedicated to men’s health, the olivewellnessinstitute described extra virgin olive oil as a ‘nutritional powerhouse’. Among the list of ways it can benefit a man’s health were:
1/ Heart Disease Risk Reduced By The Best Olive Oil
The olivewellnessinstitute cited studies revealing that men have greater levels of hypertension than women. This in turn is a risk factor of heart disease and stroke. Extra virgin olive oils like Morocco Gold, consumed as part of a Mediterranean Diet contain high levels of antioxidants also found in grape skins, olives and sesame seeds which are thought to benefit the heart. The British Heart Foundation carried out a study that showed increasing your extra virgin olive oil consumption by 10g a day could cut your risk of cardiovascular death and heart disease by 10 per cent.
2/ Weight Loss Following Prostate Cancer
As explained by the olivewellnessinstitute , recommendations for prostate cancer treatment often include weight loss. One study revealed similar weight loss results following either the Prostate Cancer Foundation diet or a plant-based diet that included three tablespoons of EVOO a day for eight weeks. However, those adhering to the plant-based diet showed greater improvements in insulin sensitivity and glycaemic control. Further, the researchers concluded that a plant-based diet with EVOO is likely a more acceptable dietary pattern in the long-term.
3/ Male Fertility Boost From Vitamin E
The best extra virgin olive oils contain significant levels of Vitamin E which has been linked to improving sperm count and motility. This fat-soluble vitamin has been shown to shield the sperm’s cell membrane from oxidative damage in infertile men. However, high doses of vitamin E have been linked to prostate cancer and should therefore be discouraged.
4/ Mental Health and Wellbeing The Olive Oil Way
Rarely has there been a time where our mental wellbeing has faced greater challenge. The wider ripples from the COVID19 pandemic have left many facing serious mental health challenges and men have been shown to be particularly vulnerable to depression and anxiety. According to Beyond Blue, one in eight men will experience depression, and one in five men will experience anxiety at some stage of their lives. A quality extra virgin olive oil is the healthy fat at the heart of The Mediterranean Diet – top of the diet hit parade for improving your mental health. When participants in a large study called The SUN Project replaced these less healthy vegetable oils with olive oil, their risk of depression plummeted by almost 50%.
5/ The Best Olive Oil Can Reduce Risk Of Colon Cancer
As few as 1–2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil per day have been associated with decreased risk of breast, respiratory tract, and digestive tract cancers. In the case of the digestive tract, reduced risk seems more likely in the upper tract (stomach and small intestine) than in the lower digestive tract (large intestine, including the colon). Scientists have looked at several different mechanisms that might allow Extra Virgin Olive Oil to provide these anti-cancer effects. For more detail on the results of these fascinating studies, take a look here.