A new study has revealed that eating an orange a day may lower your depression risk by 20 percent. The study, conducted by a team of researchers of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, citrus fruits stimulates the growth of a bacteria found in the gut that influences the production of serotonin and dopamine.
These two chemicals are known to elevate mood. The team of researchers analysed the data from more than 100,000 women who provided detailed information about their diet and health. The study only found the link to a lower depression risk with citrus, not other fruits such as apples and bananas.
According to a CBS report, the study’s lead author by Dr. Raaj Mehta said that one day, eating oranges could be part of a treatment plan for managing depression that also involves traditional antidepressants.
Citrus fruits also contain high amount of flavonoids that help support the growth of the essential bacteria F. prausnitzii, and also may regulate processes in the gut that help increase the availability of our “feel-good” neurotransmitters, serotonin and dopamine, in the body, Dr. Mehta said, as quoted by Harvard Gazette.
“I would love to see a clinical trial done to definitively show that eating citrus can lower the risk of depression, or maybe even alleviate the condition in some cases,” Dr. Mehta told The Harvard Gazette. “There’s such a huge unmet need for depression treatments, and eating citrus doesn’t really have any major side effects, so it would be great to see how much this simple treatment can help.”
However, the team maintains that more research in this area is underway. Dr. Mehta also maintained that there’s so much evidence now suggesting a strong link between the gut and the brain.
The findings of the study were published int BMC Microbiome journal.