Sugar Is Probably Not the Reason You Are Depressed.
A recent study found that sugary snacks were associated with depression in men, but not in women. Does sugar have special properties to harass men? Probably no. Let’s dig in.
Headline : Too Much Sugar Linked To Depression In Men, Poor People (Science About Us)
History : This study is part of a project looking at the mood and well-being of overweight people . There have been several studies in the past suggesting a link between sugar and depression – for example, this study found that college students who eat a lot of unhealthy foods are more likely to become depressed … or vice versa.
This new study, published in Scientific Reports , looked at a long-term study of British office workers to try to rule out whether depressed people might be looking for a comfortable meal. In this case, depression will first appear, and then the intake of sweet foods. They did not find such a pattern.
But when they looked for evidence to the contrary, that sugary foods lead to depression, the results were shaky. Yes, the men with the highest sugar intakes had an increased risk of depression. But as part of the study, the researchers asked many questions and did not find links to most of them. For example, they used two different questionnaires to determine if people were depressed. At any given time – looking for people who are depressed and eating a lot of sugar at the same time – one of the tests found a link, and the other did not. The people with the highest sugar intakes were also the least overweight, which is not in line with what we know about sugar and obesity.
The study also enrolled twice as many men as women, which may explain gender bias in the only outcome they actually found. It is possible that sugar affects both men and women, but there weren’t enough women in the study to confirm this. Or maybe finding men is an accident and there really isn’t any connection. When a study asks many different questions, as it did in this, it is usually by chance that results are discovered that are not supported by a larger, more focused study. I’m afraid this could be exactly what happened.
Takeaway : This study is a hint to researchers that there may be a link between sugar and depression, and it may be stronger in men. But that definitely doesn’t prove it.