A study led by the director of the CIBER-OBN group, Miguel Ángel Martínez- González (University of Navarra and CIBER-OBN, Spain), confirmed that consumption of high-fat yogurt is linked to lower risk of depression in women. This investigation analyzes whether being diagnosed with depression during a period of about 10 years was related to typical consumption of high-fat yogurt, low-fat yogurt, or prebiotic fiber. For this project, diet and health data collected from 14.539 men and women who were initially free of depression were analyzed. 

A total of 727 cases of depression were recorded during the study, with participants consuming the highest levels (at least 7 servings per week) of full-fat yogurt being 22% relatively less likely to be diagnosed than those consuming the lowest levels (less than half a serving per day). However, this relationship was only seen in women. Conversely, the opposite was found for low-fat yogurt; the highest intakes were associated with increased risk for depression, particularly in the first few years of study follow up. There was no relationship between prebiotic consumption and risk of depression diagnosis.

Depression, a priority problem for Public Health

According to this expert "Clinical depression is becoming one of the world’s most concerning conditions, and is expected to become the leading cause of disability in industrialized countries by 2030. A growing literature even suggests that diet is related to the development of depression and that variations in our intestinal bacterial communities may influence depression risk”. In this way dietary choices may also play a role in altering what mix of microbes we are logding in our bodies.

“Probiotics (foods, like yogurt, that intentionally contain live bacteria) and prebiotics (food components, like dietary fiber, that serve as food sources for our inhabitant bacteria) are probably most critical in shaping which bacteria predominate in our gastrointestinal tracts. Indeed, some studies carried out with laboratory animals suggest that alteration of the gut microbes can influence mental health, including depressive symptoms” states Martínez-González.

The authors urge further controlled intervention studies designed to lend insight as to the mechanism(s) underlying their findings.