Urgent warning as popular weight-loss diet could leave you DEPRESSED

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A POPULAR diet among people looking to lose weight can trigger depression, warns new research.

And men are particularly “vulnerable”, according to the findings.

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The study, published in BMJ Nutrition Prevention and Health, shows following a low calorie diet is linked to a heightened risk of depressive symptoms.

These findings stand in contrast to previous studies which claim low calorie diets improve depressive symptoms.

The study looked at data from 28,525 American adults who had completed a questionnaire to find out the severity of depressive symptoms.

Just under 8 per cent reported depressive symptoms, 29 per cent had a healthy weight, 33 per cent were overweight, and 38 per cent were clinically obese.

The majority of the group (87 per cent) said they weren’t on a specific diet, while 2,206 were restricting calories.

Researchers found low-calorie diets were more common among obese patients and those who were overweight.

Questionnaire scores for depressive symptoms, such as a low mood, low energy and sleep disturbances, were higher among those restricting calories compared to those who reported not being on a diet at all.

And the scores were also higher among overweight people following low-calorie diets.

Study author Dr Venkat Bhat, of the University of Toronto, Canada, said: “These scores also varied by sex.

“A nutrient-restrictive diet was associated with higher cognitive-affective symptom scores in men than in women not on a diet, while all three types of diet were associated with higher somatic symptom scores in men.

“And people living with obesity following an established dietary pattern had higher cognitive-affective and somatic symptom scores than those of a healthy weight not on a diet.”

Dr Bhat says the findings contradict those of previously published studies suggesting that low calorie diets improve depressive symptoms.

He said: “This discrepancy may arise because prior studies were primarily randomised controlled trials where participants adhered to carefully designed diets ensuring balanced nutrient intake.

“In contrast, real-life calorie-restricted diets and obesity often result in nutritional deficiencies – particularly in protein, essential vitamins/minerals – and induce physiological stress, which can exacerbate depressive symptomatology including cognitive-affective symptoms.”

Dr Bhat says another possible explanation might be a failure to lose weight or “weight cycling” – losing weight and then putting it back on.

He said a possible explanation for the observed gender discrepancies may be down to glucose and the fatty acid omega-3 which are critical for brain health.

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Dr Bhat added: “Diets low in carbohydrates – glucose – or fats, omega-3s, may theoretically worsen brain function and exacerbate cognitive-affective symptoms, especially in men with greater nutritional needs.”

Professor Sumantra Ray, Chief Scientist and Executive Director of the NNEdPro Global Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health, welcomed the findings: He said: “This study adds to the emerging evidence linking dietary patterns and mental health, raising important questions about whether restrictive diets which are low in nutrients considered beneficial for cognitive health, such as omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12, may precipitate depressive symptoms.”

“But the effect sizes are small, with further statistical limitations limiting the generalisability of the findings.”

Prof Ray added: “Further well designed studies that accurately capture dietary intake and minimise the impact of chance and confounding are needed to continue this important line of inquiry.”