Have you heard about the latest study from Harvard that links eating lots of pasta to depression?
In case you didn't hear about it, the research was published in the journal, ‘Brain, Behavior and Immunity,’ and tracked over 40,000 women over the course of a dozen years, and concluded that a diet high in carbs such as pasta can lead to a diagnosis of depression.
This study, so-called “The Nurse’s Study,” analyzed the women, all 50-77 years old, and none in the group had depression at the study’s onset. The study concluded that those women who ate lots of pasta (as well as processed red meat, sodas, and other unhealthy foods) were, on average, about 35% more likely to have been clinically diagnosed with depression.
The study might be shocking to some. After all, isn't pasta, one of the most popular comfort foods, essentially acting as an upper? Many regular pasta eaters feel euphoric after eating, so how could the research conclude that frequent pasta eaters were more likely to develop signs of depression?
Noodles, pasta and other products containing modern wheat have the same addiction properties as opiates. Just like drugs and alcohol, we feel happy within a short time after eating pasta, but those good vibes may be short-lived.
While this study wasn't designed perfectly, researchers speculate that products loaded with wheat--such as regular pasta--as well as sugar and processed foods cause inflammation. Inflammatory conditions in the body may be what’s causing the depression.