MEDITERRANEAN DIET
MAY PROTECT AGAINST
DEPRESSION IN OLDER AGE
By Diane Fennell
E
ating a Mediterranean-style diet may protect against
symptoms of depression in older age, according to
new research from Hellenic Open University in Greece.
Researchers looked at data from 154 older adults
in Athens, screening the participants for depression
and sleep disturbances and assessing their adherence
to a Mediterranean diet. Roughly 75% of the sub-
jects screened negative for depression symptoms, 21%
screened positive for moderate depression, and 3%
screened positive for severe depression. Approximately
30% were found to have sleep problems, and about 64%
adhered moderately to a Mediterranean diet.
A link was found between depression diagnosed by
a physician and not sticking to a Mediterranean style
of eating.
Depression was 20% less common in those eating
more vegetables, 36% less common in those eating
less poultry, and 28% less likely in people drinking
less alcohol.
“Although we should be cautious about the study find-
ings, they represent another potential reason to adopt
a Mediterranean diet,” says study author Konstantinos
Argyropoulos, MD, PhD. “Following a healthy lifestyle,
which includes not only a Mediterranean-style diet but
also plenty of physical activity and drinking alcohol only
in moderation, is linked to a reduction in depression.”
DIABETES
Q UIZ Questions
Back to routine
(school and work)
By Frieda Wiley, PharmD, RPh
With the long, leisurely days of summer coming to a close,
resuming your normal work or school routine may require a
little adjustment. You already know that stress can be very
harmful to your physical well-being, but take this quiz to see
how it can affect your mental health.
- Which of the following describes the condition in
which people who have diabetes may feel stressed,
overwhelmed and/or frustrated?
OA. Diabetes psychosis
OB. Diabetes-related
depression
OC. Diabetes distress
OD. Diabetes-affective dis-
order
- Having which of the following conditions increases
the risk for diabetes? (More than one answer may be
correct.)
OA. Depression
OB. Schizophrenia
OC. Tourette syndrome
OD. Delirium
- In addition to making you prone to exercise less and
eat poorly, how else might stress affect diabetes?
OA. Stress may reduce
stress hormones.
OB. Stress may increase
blood sugar.
OC. Stress may cause
peripheral neuropathy
to worsen.
OD. Stress may increase the
frequency of urination.
- True/false: Adolescents who have diabetes are less
likely to feel stressed than their peers without diabe-
tes if they have support from their family.
OTrue OFalse - Fill in the blank: Chronic stress and ____ can
increase the risk for type 2 diabetes.
OA. Low health literacy
OB. Average deductive rea-
soning skills
OC. Poor sense of direction
OD. Low sense of coher-
ence
NEWS &
NOTES
Left
:^ Sh
utte
rsto
ck/T
atia
na^
Pan
kov
a;^ R
igh
t:^ S
hut
ters
toc
k/K
iian
Ok
san
a
10 September/October 2019