Eating one orange a day links to a 20% lower risk of developing depression - study reveals

Generally, people eat oranges as they are tasty and a very good source of vitamin C. It is also known that eating oranges helps to keep our skin well. But a new study has observed that it could also help protect one’s mental health. Citing the Journal where the reports were first published, a famous health magazine mentioned that Harvard researchers have discovered that eating just one medium orange per day is linked to a 20% lower risk of developing depression.

The reason behind the link to a lower risk of developing depression
The researchers observed that the connection depends on a specific gut microbe which is called Faecalibacterium prausnitzii. This microbe thrives when one eats citrus fruits. They also observed that this bacterium appears to influence the production of crucial brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine. These are neurotransmitters or chemical messengers that regulate our mood and emotions.

The researchers found that lower levels of this bacterium in people create the problem of depression. One should note that serotonin and dopamine act differently. Dopamine is involved in movement, coordination, and feelings of pleasure and reward. On the other hand, serotonin is involved in emotions. But it also affects digestion and metabolism. People sometimes refer to these two elements as “happy hormones” as they have a role to play in regulating mood and motion. They are also involved in several mental health conditions, including low mood and depression.

Dr. Raaj Mehta, a lead researcher of this study from Harvard Medical School, reportedly said that when one looked at people’s total fruit and vegetable consumption or at other individual fruits such as apples or bananas, one did not see any relationship between intake and risk of depression. The effect seemed to be specific to citrus.

The research methodology
The study involves a very large sample. As many as 32,000 middle-aged women were tracked from 2003 to 2017. But the result of the observation was validated when a similar method of study was done on men. But the researchers mentioned that these studies are observational. This means it shows a correlation but does not prove that eating oranges directly prevents depression. The researchers found growing pieces of evidence that our gut health significantly influences our mental wellbeing. It is expected that more things will come out in new studies in the coming days about this matter.