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In the news: Can Anti-inflammatory Diets Elevate Mood? What’s the ‘DREAM’ Study?

Eating Habits May Influence Depression Risk

Last month’s Staying Healthy featured a review on the omega-3 fatty acids and depression in older individuals. The results of that review suggest that these fatty acids may help improve mood because of their anti-inflammatory actions and by affecting the actions of neurotransmitters.

A number of studies support the idea that ongoing chronic inflammation may have a role in depression. One investigation, for example, found that people with depression had higher blood levels of the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein. Brain scans of depressed individuals have also indicated increased neuro-inflammation (inflamed nervous tissue) compared to those without depressive symptoms.

In 2014, a research team from the University of South Carolina and Harvard developed a dietary inflammatory index (DII) as a tool to assess an individual’s diet on a continuum from maximally anti-inflammatory to most pro-inflammatory. Previous research has shown that various nutrients are associated with lower inflammation levels, including fruits and vegetables, omega-3s, fiber, moderate alcohol intake, vitamins C and E, beta-carotene and magnesium. In contrast, intake of various foods – e.g. fried foods, soda, refined breads, and red meat – is linked to higher inflammatory levels in the body.

To test their assessment tool, the team first used the DII to compare three different dietary patterns already linked to pro- or anti-inflammatory effects: a fast food diet (high in sugar, fried foods, high-fat dairy products, and refined grains); a Mediterranean diet (high in whole grains, green leafy vegetables and fish, low in red meat and butter, with moderate alcohol and moderate to high olive oil); and a macrobiotic diet which is a modified traditional Japanese diet (very high in whole grains, vegetables, and beans, with lower fish, fruits, and sweeteners).

As expected, the macrobiotic and Mediterranean diets produced strong anti-inflammatory DII scores vs. the DII score for the fast food diet, which had strong pro-inflammatory potential (1). Using their DII tool, the researchers have gone on to explore the relationship of inflammatory eating patterns and many chronic diseases such as heart disease and osteoporosis.

In the newest investigation (2), the team looked at a pro-inflammatory diet and the presence of depressive symptoms in a group of older individuals. The study included over 3,600 participants (average age about 60 years) with or at risk for osteoarthritis of the knee. Over the course of an 8-year follow-up, 837 participants developed symptoms of depression.

Those consuming the most pro-inflammatory diet were found to have a 24% increased risk of developing depression compared with those eating the most anti-inflammatory diet.

The study adds to the growing body of evidence that at least some forms of depression may be affected by diet. And though more research is needed, the authors suggest that transitioning to a more anti-inflammatory diet may reduce depression risk.

DREAM Study: Fish Oil for Dry Eye Disease

You may have read about the recently published trial called the DREAM study that evaluated high dose fish oil, often as an add-on to traditional therapy, for treating dry eye. In the trial (3), both supplemental high dose fish oil or olive oil (placebo) helped alleviate the symptoms and improve objective signs of dry eye similarly, leading the researchers to conclude that fish oil seems to offer no added benefit for dry eye.

Unfortunately, the fatty acid GLA (the primary omega in SBH’s product, HydroEye) was not tested in DREAM. GLA has been better studied than fish oil in dry eye, and shown to reduce symptoms and arrest inflammation. For more about DREAM and GLA go to: www.SBH.com/DREAM.

References

1. Steck SE, et al. The Dietary Inflammatory Index: A New Tool for Assessing Diet Quality Based on Inflammatory Potential. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: The Digest. 49:1-9, 2014.
2. Shivappa N, et al. The relationship between the Dietary Inflammatory Inde (DII) and incident depressive symptoms: A longitudinal cohort study. J Affect Disord. Epub April 2018.
3. Dry Eye Assessment and Management Study Research Group. n-3 fatty acid supplementation for the treatment of dry eye disease. NEJM. April 13, 2018.