Depression help by diet: study shows Mediterranean style diet can help

THESE simple diet changes could not only fight depression but save our health system almost $900 per patient, a Deakin University study has found.

SWITCHING to a Mediterranean style diet can reduce symptoms of depression, but now Melbourne researchers have shown it’s also a cost effective intervention.

A new study has found using food to tackle depression could deliver savings to the health system of almost $900 per person.

Last year a world-first study by Deakin University found the dietary intervention, which involved increasing consumption of vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, legumes, lean red meats, olive oil and nuts, and eating less unhealthy foods, could help treat major depression.

While not intended to be a replacement for standard therapies and drug treatments, it suggests people with depression could benefit from seeing a dietitian.

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A Mediterranean-style salad. Picture: iStock

Deakin University’s health economist Dr Mary Lou Chatterton evaluated the cost effectiveness of the 12 week diet to see what impact it could have on the health system.

Her research involved collecting information from participants on how many times they visited health professionals and calculating the cost of those appointments.

“They were also asked which medication or supplements they were taking and how many days they had off work or unpaid activities, like housework or childcare, and we put a dollar value to that,” Dr Chatterton said.

Also factored into the economic evaluation published in the journal BMC Public Health today was the cost of the diet itself.

The health sector cost was almost $900 lower for people on the dietary intervention for depression over the 12 week study compared with those receiving peer support sessions.

Most of the savings came from fewer health professional visits and less time off work or unpaid activities.

People on the diet also shaved $26 off their grocery bill, mostly due to buying less takeaway and processed foods.

When the cost of food, travelling to and from appointments and loss of productivity was taken into account the intervention was even more cost effective: $2591 lower for the diet group.

“Given the fact that there is around one million individuals with depression, if we could improve their diet and save $900 per person, the savings across the health system could be quite substantial,” Dr Chatterton said.

However she said the study of 67 people needed to be expanded to validate their results.

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For depression support, Beyond Blue is on 1300 22 4636 or beyondblue.org.au