Trans fat boosts depression risk, study suggests

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Trans fat boosts depression risk, study suggests

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PLoS One: Dietary Fat Intake and the Risk of Depression

CTV.ca News Staff

Date: Thursday Jan. 27, 2011 12:02 PM ET

It's becoming clear that a diet high in trans fat can raise the risk of heart disease. Now a new study suggests the fat might also boost the risk of depression.

The study looked at more than 12,000 people, all of whom were free of depression at the start of the study. The men and women completed a food frequency questionnaire describing their intakes of various types of fat.

After a median follow-up of about six years, 657 of the participants were diagnosed with depression.

Those who ate the highest amount of foods containing trans fat had a 48 per cent increased risk of depression compared to those who ate the least.

Those who ate healthier fats such as olive oil had a lower risk of depression. In fact, participants who consumed more than 20 grams a day of olive oil had a 30 per cent lower risk of depression than those who consumed little or no olive oil.

The researchers note that those in the highest trans fat intake group were not eating a huge amount of trans fat -- about 1.5 grams a day. And the main sources of those trans fats were naturally derived, in cheese and whole-fat milk.

"So, the repercussion of these results might be really important in other settings such as the American population," the authors write.

That's because Americans -- and of course Canadians -- get the majority of their trans fat from processed foods, such as bakery items and shortening. Canadians consume an average of 3.4 grams of trans fat per day, according to Health Canada.

The researchers suspect that trans fats contribute to inflammatory changes as well as plaque build-up in the arteries and brain, boosting the risk of heart disease and mood problems.

Olive oil, on the other hand, has some anti- inflammatory properties, which may help the circulatory system function better, the authors wrote.

The study is published online in PLoS ONE.

Comments are now closed for this story

Amanda
said
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Trevor, when you look at researches like that, it's important to keep in mind that they don't mean that something will automatically be the cause of something else. It simply means that trans fat have been shown to put people at MORE risks than others with a healthier diet...they can't say with certainty that it does because so many other factors should and are taken in consideration when it comes to something like depression. Like for example, social and economical status, personal relations and family history of mental diseases, amongst many others. Studies like that are merely guide lines more often than not.

Doug ^^^BC
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"3 almonds? Are you kidding me?? That' not an accusation "wendy".It's a question.If that is true it's certainly something I did not know. I am on the side who favours less fat,and especially trans fats in the food we eat.But to be honest,I expecct to always reamin on the side of free choice,and opposed to any government taxes or legislation that removes that choice,or almost any other choice.Honest labeling,sound science,and informed consumers should serve us all well. Like some others,I question drawing a straight line between trans fats,or fats, of any kind,and things like depression.There is almost certainly a link.But I suspect there are many links in those chains.People who consume more fats may also be sedentary.They may also be consuming to much of everything,thus putting on extra pounds.The weight gain alone causes many to have lower self esteem. I liken this study to an investigation into an air plane crash.There is RARELY one single cause for the event.But it's almost always true that it could have been avoided by taking any one of several steps along the way. We're getting fatter,and far less fit.But I remain convinced there is no single cause.And certainly no one solution that will fit all people.Some will need to eat less of everything.Some will need to exercise more.Many will have to do both.But hopefully,each individual who wants to look and feel better will have all the information they need to assess and addresss their specific needs. Doing so will save us all a lot of money in health care costs.Although--- I'm not sure how the world will cope with a growing population if we all live a lot longer.

Trevor in the hst
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I have trouble believeing this study as the real world seems to contradict it. There are fewer restaraunts etc. using transfats and yet the depression levels are higher than ever.

Melanie
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I love cheese, and I have been eating a serving or two of it almost daily. I feel pretty depressed these days, but I think it has more to do with my work life and finances. I will take note about the olive oil and try not to skimp so much when I do use it, and I will cut back on my cheese, which I was thinking I needed to do anyway. Plus, it is cruel that they separate the calf from the mom so early just to boost milk production.

Greg in Cambridge
said
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Who needs Trans-Fat to get depressed. All I have to do is think of all the crap McGuinty has heaped on us. That's more than enough.And now I hear he wants to run again!

Devil's Advocate
said
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There was a reference to how much they ate on average, 1.5 grams. This article is a tad vague, and leaves me asking more questions. Well time to go 'eat' my own tirade, and do some self educating...

JJ
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@Wendy - Look into Canola oil and don't just believe what our government tells you. Our government spent 50 million dollars to have Canola oil (which was developed in 1979 at the University of Manitoba) added to the FDA approved safe list of Genetically modified seeds, WITHOUT any human testing done. As a GMO, It is illegal in parts of Europe. If you feed it to rats they end up with neurological disorders, feed it to cows, you get mad cow disease, feed it to a pregnant pig, she will have a miscarriage. The best oils for you are olive or sunflower oil. Vegetable oil is typically derived from corn, which corn is a filler and has limited absorption nutritional value. When there is enough evidence of long term adverse effects in animals with no studies done in humans, I am reluctant to encourage people this is the "healthier" choice for consumers. Any time the FDA is paid off to approve anything without significant human testing done, the end results have always been disastrous. As someone who is sensitive to the additives and poisons the governments are approving for our consumption, I research everything my family eats. I too once thought canola oil was good for me (I work for a company that makes it) and enjoyed it thoroughly. But after the research I have done, I cannot under good conscious feed this to my family. You can all call me crazy if you like but Symptoms don't appear over night and in 5 - 10 years when they have the data to support what I am saying, I hope you look back and remember this post.

Prof. Pye Chartt
said
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There's no reference in the story to body end-weight. One could guess that, perhaps, those who consumed more trans fats (given the food-content profile) put on some or greater "weight" during the median six-year period and, therefore, suffered a negative psychological impact (ie. depression) that being "overweight" can induce.

karen
said
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More like depressed people are more likely to eat transfatty foods and healthly people who exercise are less likely to be depressed and make better food choices.

Wendy
said
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Olive oil is good for you but what many people don't know is that as soon as the oil is heated it loses many of it's good properties, so using a canola oil for cooking is as healthy & is not as expensive. Our bodies do need fat, the exact amount of fat our bodies need can be obtained from 3 almonds.

Jaid in Toronto
said
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It sounds interesting, although I would have to question if daily activities are monitored. Having a healthy diet and being engaged in physical activities does give a self-confidence boost whereas having an unhealthy diet can contribute to poor performance and thus low confidence which can be the start of a depression.Depression is mainly a mental health issue, and this research needs to go further if it were to truly conclude that trans fat dieting results in depression. Such things that it can contest against are to eliminate the fact that depression causes trans fat dieting and that being occasionally involved in physical activity shows no effect in depression with a trans fat diet.