We all know the childhood saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
Now, new research is showing fruit like apples are not only healthy for your body but also your mind.
Published in the British Journal of Nutrition, a study surveyed 428 adults from across the UK and looked at the relationship between their consumption of fruit, vegetables, sweet and savory food snacks, and their mental health.[R]
After taking demographic and lifestyle factors such as age, general health and exercise into account…
The researchers found that both nutrient-rich fruit and nutrient-poor savory snacks had a significant affect.
Based on the survey, the more often people ate fruit, the lower they scored for depression and the higher for mental wellbeing.
People who frequently snacked on nutrient-poor savory foods (such as crisps) were more likely to experience ‘everyday mental lapses’ and report lower mental wellbeing.
A greater number of lapses, was associated with higher reported symptoms of anxiety, stress and depression, and lower mental wellbeing scores.
Lead author, PhD student Nicola-Jayne Tuck commented: “Very little is known about how diet may affect mental health and wellbeing, and while we did not directly examine causality here, our findings could suggest that frequently snacking on nutrient-poor savory foods may increase everyday mental lapses, which in turn reduces psychological health.
Other studies have found an association between fruit and vegetables and mental health, but few have looked at fruit and vegetables separately — and even fewer evaluate both frequency and quantity of intake.”
Here’s another interesting note.
The researchers also found that there was no direct association between eating vegetables and mental health.
Both fruit and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, fiber and essential micronutrients which promote optimal brain function, but these nutrients can be lost during cooking.
As we are more likely to eat fruit raw, this could potentially explain its stronger influence on our psychological health.
Simply put, if you’re feeling down and could use a mood boost…
Try adding more fruit into your diet.
There’s no downside in trying.
Ouro Vitae, A First Finisher LLC Company, 900 Commonwealth Place PMB 2135 Virginia Beach, VA 23464
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
©2022 Ouro Vitae. All rights reserved.
1. Cavallini, G., Caracciolo, S., Vitali, G., Modenini, F., & Biagiotti, G. (2004). Carnitine versus androgen administration in the treatment of sexual dysfunction, depressed mood, and fatigue associated with male aging. Urology, 63(4), 641-646. doi:10.1016/j.urology.2003.11.009
2. Malaguarnera, M., Cammalleri, L., Gargante, M. P., Vacante, M., Colonna, V., & Motta, M. (2007). L-Carnitine treatment reduces severity of physical and mental fatigue and increases cognitive functions in centenarians: A randomized and controlled clinical trial. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 86(6), 1738-1744. doi:10.1093/ajcn/86.5.1738
3. Karlic, H., & Lohninger, A. (2004). Supplementation of l-carnitine in athletes: Does it make sense? Nutrition, 20(7-8), 709-715. doi:10.1016/j.nut.2004.04.003
4. Samimi, M., Jamilian, M., Ebrahimi, F. A., Rahimi, M., Tajbakhsh, B., & Asemi, Z. (2016). Oral carnitine supplementation reduces body weight and insulin resistance in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Clinical Endocrinology,84(6), 851-857. doi:10.1111/cen.13003
5. Sahlin, K. (2011). Boosting fat burning with carnitine: An old friend comes out from the shadow. The Journal of Physiology, 589(7), 1509-1510. doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2011.205815
6. Soczynska, J. K., Kennedy, S. H., Chow, C. S., Woldeyohannes, H. O., Konarski, J. Z., & Mcintyre, R. S. (2008). Acetyl-L-carnitine and α-lipoic acid: Possible neurotherapeutic agents for mood disorders? Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs, 17(6), 827-843. doi:10.1517/13543784.17.6.827
7. Miyagawa, T., Kawamura, H., Obuchi, M., Ikesaki, A., Ozaki, A., Tokunaga, K., . . . Honda, M. (2013). Effects of Oral L-Carnitine Administration in Narcolepsy Patients: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Cross-Over and Placebo-Controlled Trial. PLoS ONE,8(1). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0053707
8. Cristofano, A., Sapere, N., Marca, G. L., Angiolillo, A., Vitale, M., Corbi, G., . . . Costanzo, A. D. (2016). Serum Levels of Acyl-Carnitines along the Continuum from Normal to Alzheimers Dementia. Plos One, 11(5). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0155694
. Fillit, H., & Hill, J. (2004). The Economic Benefits of Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors for Patients with Alzheimer Disease and Associated Dementias. Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders,18. doi:10.1097/01.wad.0000127492.65032.d3
10. Miyata, M., Yoshihisa, A., Yamauchi, H., Owada, T., Sato, T., Suzuki, S., . . . Takeishi, Y. (2014). Impact of sleep-disordered breathing on myocardial damage and metabolism in patients with chronic heart failure. Heart and Vessels, 30(3), 318-324. doi:10.1007/s00380-014-0479-6
11. Lango, R. (2001). Influence of ?-carnitine and its derivatives on myocardial metabolism and function in ischemic heart disease and during cardiopulmonary bypass. Cardiovascular Research, 51(1), 21-29. doi:10.1016/s0008-6363(01)00313-3
12. Vescovo, G., Ravara, B., Gobbo, V., Sandri, M., Angelini, A., Barbera, M. D., . . . Libera, L. D. (2002). L-Carnitine: A potential treatment for blocking apoptosis and preventing skeletal muscle myopathy in heart failure. American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology, 283(3). doi:10.1152/ajpcell.00046.2002
13. Shadboorestan, A., Shokrzadeh, M., Ahangar, N., Abdollahi, M., Omidi, M., & Payam, S. S. (2013). The chemoprotective effects of l-carnitine against genotoxicity induced by diazinon in rat blood lymphocyte. Toxicology and Industrial Health,31(12), 1334-1340. doi:10.1177/0748233713491811
14. Chowanadisai, W., Bauerly, K. A., Tchaparian, E., Wong, A., Cortopassi, G. A., & Rucker, R. B. (2009). Pyrroloquinoline Quinone Stimulates Mitochondrial Biogenesis through cAMP Response Element-binding Protein Phosphorylation and Increased PGC-1α Expression. Journal of Biological Chemistry,285(1), 142-152. doi:10.1074/jbc.m109.030130
15. Chowanadisai, W., Bauerly, K. A., Tchaparian, E., Wong, A., Cortopassi, G. A., & Rucker, R. B. (2009). Pyrroloquinoline Quinone Stimulates Mitochondrial Biogenesis through cAMP Response Element-binding Protein Phosphorylation and Increased PGC-1α Expression. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 285(1), 142-152. doi:10.1074/jbc.m109.030130
16. Stites TE, Mitchell AE, Rucker RB. Physiological importance of quinoenzymes and the O-quinone family of cofactors. J Nutr. 2000 Apr;130(4):719-27
17. Steinberg, F., Stites, T. E., Anderson, P., Storms, D., Chan, I., Eghbali, S., & Rucker, R. (2003). Pyrroloquinoline Quinone Improves Growth and Reproductive Performance in Mice Fed Chemically Defined Diets. Experimental Biology and Medicine, 228(2), 160-166. doi:10.1177/153537020322800205
18. Biswas, T. K., Pandit, S., Mondal, S., Biswas, S. K., Jana, U., Ghosh, T., . . . Auddy, B. (2010). Clinical evaluation of spermatogenic activity of processed Shilajit in oligospermia. Andrologia,42(1), 48-56. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0272.2009.00956.x
19. Surapaneni, D. K., Adapa, S. R., Preeti, K., Teja, G. R., Veeraragavan, M., & Krishnamurthy, S. (2012). Shilajit attenuates behavioral symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome by modulating the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and mitochondrial bioenergetics in rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 143(1), 91-99. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2012.06.002
20. Chang, C. S., Choi, J. B., Kim, H. J., & Park, S. B. (2011). Correlation Between Serum Testosterone Level and Concentrations of Copper and Zinc in Hair Tissue. Biological Trace Element Research,144(1-3), 264-271. doi:10.1007/s12011-011-9085-y
21. Plasma Steroid-Binding Proteins in Tumour Diseases. (1984). Molecular Aspects of Medicine, 371-380. doi:10.1016/b978-0-08-033239-0.50032-6
