Who doesn’t like cookies, ice cream or some salty French fries as a pick-me-up when they’re feeling a little blue? But can eating those feel-good fatty foods actually make you feel even more blue?
Neuroscientists at the University of Montreal have found that consuming a high-fat diet can have a depressive effect.
“In addition to causing obesity, rich foods can actually cause chemical reactions in the brain in a similar way to illicit drugs, ultimately leading to depression as the ‘come-downs’ take their toll,” said Dr. Stephanie Fulton, who led the research.
Like drugs, there are people who get caught in a cycle where “food highs” are used to combat depression. While data shows that obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing depression, Fulton said, scientists still don’t fully understand the neural mechanisms and “brain reward” patterns that link obesity and depression.
Fulton and her team are working to solve the conundrum by feeding mice different kinds of food and monitoring how the diet affects the mice’s behaviour.
So far, it appears that mice who are fed a higher-fat diet show signs of anxiety and depression, such as making less of an effort to escape when trapped, and have a higher level of the stress hormone corticosterone. As well, the researchers find that the brains of the mice consuming higher-fat foods are physically altered.
The study was published in the International Journal of Obesity in April and was funded in part by a grant from the Canadian Diabetes Association.
In a press release on Wednesday, Fulton said it is urgent that scientists identify the molecules and neural pathways involved in obesity and obesity-related illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers and depression.
Statistics cited by the local public health unit and the Erie St. Clair LHIN show residents in Erie St. Clair have a higher incidence of overweight and obese individuals, as well as significantly higher rates of chronic conditions including diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
The research gives new meaning to the expression “You are what you eat.”