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Dietary Patterns and Depression in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: State of the Evidence

  • Nutrition and Aging (MC Serra, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Depression is known to affect people’s quality of life, and it should not be considered as a normal part of aging. Diet is a modifiable factor that may be associated with the likelihood of older adults becoming depressed. While some nutrients and specific food items, such as B vitamins or fish, have been explored, food is rarely eaten alone and may have a synergistic effect on health. Therefore, the study of dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean pattern, is emerging. While evidence from longitudinal studies is still scarce, this synthesis of studies on the association of dietary patterns and depression in community-dwelling older adults suggests that dietary patterns may not be a strong predictor of late-life depression when social and biological factors are accounted for.

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Notes

  1. DASH diet = Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet protocol.

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Nutrition, St. Francis Xavier University, P.O. Box 5000, Antigonish, NS, B2G 2W5, Canada

    Laura Gougeon

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  1. Laura Gougeon
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Correspondence to Laura Gougeon.

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Gougeon, L. Dietary Patterns and Depression in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: State of the Evidence. Curr Nutr Rep 5, 106–112 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13668-016-0158-6

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