Depressed people are prone to craving carbohydrates.
Depression, characterized by persistent low mood, often reduces a person's appetite. However, a new study shows that people with severe depression sometimes have cravings, especially for foods containing carbohydrates.
This not only affects appetite but can also lead to changes in the patient's weight.
A study conducted by scientists at the University of Bonn (Germany) and published in the journal Psychological Medicine shows that the link between carbohydrate cravings may be related to depression.
In the study, a group of 117 participants, 54 of whom were depressed and 63 of whom were healthy, were asked to complete a “food cue-reactivity task.”
They had to rate their "wanting" and "liking" levels for 60 food and 20 non-food items.
Results showed that depressed patients had less liking and desire to eat foods rich in fat and protein compared to foods rich in carbohydrates.
Another important finding was that these patients tended to crave foods that contained both carbohydrates and fat, such as milk chocolate. This suggests a link between carbohydrate cravings and the severity of depression, especially anxiety symptoms.
Carbohydrates provide temporary stress relief
Carbohydrate cravings were more strongly associated with the severity of depression, especially anxiety symptoms, said Lilly Thurn, the study's first author and now a graduate student at Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
This suggests that cravings for carbohydrate-containing foods may be a psychological response mechanism to anxiety or stress in depression.
Researchers also explain that energy-dense foods, especially carbohydrates, can have a powerful effect on the brain's reward system, increasing feelings of pleasure and temporarily reducing stress.
Therefore, carbohydrate cravings may not only be a manifestation of nutritional deficiencies but also a way for depressed patients to cope with negative emotions.
"Carbohydrate-containing foods control the reward response in the brain through different signaling pathways than foods rich in fat and protein. This could help develop better treatments for depression in the future," said Professor Nils Kroemer, one of the study authors and professor of medical psychology at the University Hospital Bonn.
