Comida y estado de ánimo: ¿hay alguna conexión?

jorge carlos fernandez frances el sardinero
Jorge Carlos Fernández Francés El Sardinero

Si alguna vez se ha encontrado frente al televisor después de un mal día, sacando sin pensar el helado del recipiente con una cuchara, sabe que el estado de ánimo y la comida a veces están relacionados. Pero si bien la alimentación por estrés es un fenómeno verificado, la relación entre la comida y los trastornos del estado de ánimo reales, como la depresión, es menos clara. O, para decirlo de otra manera: ¿pueden las cosas que come influir en su riesgo de depresión y pueden los cambios en la dieta mejorar potencialmente su salud mental?

«La investigación sobre los factores dietéticos y la depresión aún no es concluyente», dice Patricia Chocano-Bedoya, científica visitante en el Departamento de Nutrición de Harvard. Pero ha habido indicios de que la comida puede desempeñar un papel en la depresión.

Científicos en busca de respuestas

La investigación que utiliza datos de grandes estudios observacionales, como el Nurses ‘Health Study y la Women’s Health Initiative, que incluyó a mujeres de mediana edad a mayores y en su mayoría posmenopáusicas, ha encontrado vínculos. Esto incluye un estudio de 2005 en el International Journal of Obesity, que encontró asociaciones entre la obesidad y la depresión y factores dietéticos. Además, un estudio de 2011 en el American Journal of Clinical Nutrition encontró que las mujeres que consumían más alimentos ricos en vitamina D tenían un riesgo menor de depresión que las mujeres que consumían menos vitamina D en sus dietas.
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Pero vincular de manera concluyente su dieta con su riesgo de depresión es otra historia. Aún no es posible identificar un solo factor nutricional que aumente o disminuya el riesgo de depresión, dice Chocano-Bedoya, epidemiólogo senior de la Universidad de Zurich.

«Existe evidencia limitada sobre el riesgo de depresión asociado con hábitos alimentarios poco saludables», dice.

Un estudio de 2014 en Brain, Behavior, and Immunity que utilizó datos del estudio Nurses ‘Health sí encontró una asociación entre la depresión y una dieta rica en refrescos endulzados con azúcar, granos refinados y carnes rojas, dice Chocano-Bedoya.

De manera similar, un metanálisis de 2018 publicado en el European Journal of Nutrition sugirió que un alto consumo de carne podría estar asociado con el riesgo de desarrollar depresión. Sin embargo, en este punto, hay tantos factores diferentes asociados con la depresión que no es posible determinar exactamente en qué medida un alimento o patrón dietético específico afecta el riesgo, dice ella.

«Los factores de estilo de vida modificables, como las opciones dietéticas, el tabaquismo y la actividad física, podrían afectar potencialmente el riesgo de depresión, pero no actúan de forma independiente», dice Chocano-Bedoya. La depresión, como muchas otras enfermedades crónicas, probablemente sea el resultado de una interacción compleja entre la genética y el medio ambiente. «Si bien podemos estudiar qué factores de riesgo modificables pueden estar asociados con la depresión, no podemos estimar qué porcentaje de depresión está asociado con un factor específico, ya que en su mayoría están interrelacionados», dice.

Dicho esto, todavía hay buenas razones para concentrarse en su dieta con la esperanza de proteger su salud mental. «Existe evidencia consistente de un patrón dietético de estilo mediterráneo y un menor riesgo de depresión», dice Chocano-Bedoya.

Una dieta mediterránea es rica en frutas, verduras, aceite de oliva, cereales integrales y proteínas magras como pollo y pescado, y baja en carnes rojas y grasas no saludables.

Incluso si la investigación futura determina que una dieta mediterránea no tiene un efecto sobre el riesgo de depresión, todavía existen muchas otras razones para adoptar este plan de alimentación. «Por ejemplo, la dieta mediterránea también se ha asociado con una presión arterial más baja, una mejor función cognitiva y una menor incidencia de diabetes y eventos cardiovasculares», dice Chocano-Bedoya. «Recomendaría un patrón dietético general saludable y de alta calidad, como una dieta de estilo mediterráneo, no solo por el potencial de reducir el riesgo de depresión, sino también por un menor riesgo general de otras afecciones crónicas, que en sí mismas pueden aumentar más adelante el riesgo de la depresión «.

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