Dried Fruit Shields Against Depression: Study

News Desk

Islamabad: Eating dried fruits daily in middle age has been shown to reduce depression and improve mental health, according to new research.

To test the effect of dried fruits on mental health, British experts conducted a study on more than 13,000 people, during which they evaluated the mental health of the volunteers.

From 2007 to 2012, experts asked volunteers questions about their mental health and assessed their levels of depression, and also asked them about the amount of dry fruit they consumed.

Half of the volunteers were women and all the volunteers were over 55 years of age.

After checking the level of depression in all the volunteers, the experts recommended that they eat different foods from 2013 to 2020.

During the study, 9,600 volunteers consumed no dried fruit, 2,800 volunteers consumed fewer nuts and over 1,000 volunteers ate more dried fruit.

The results showed that volunteers who ate up to 30 grams of dried fruit per day had better mental health and 17 per cent lower levels of depression than those who did not.

Experts suggest that dry fruits should be consumed regularly after middle age as they improve not only mental but also physical health.

Dry fruits include almonds, pistachios, cashews, walnuts, figs, and raisins, among others. They contain fibre, potassium, fatty acids, vitamins, and antioxidants, among other nutrients, providing the body and mind with the nutrients they need.

However, the research did not specify when people should eat dried fruit, nor did it specify which type of dried fruit to eat.