“Fruit” drinks cause depression

CEBU, Philippines - A US study revealed that sweetened drinks, including fruit juices — especially those marked “diet,” can result in an increased risk of depression.

The study, which will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in March, shows that those who drink more than four cans or cups of sweetened fruit punch, among others, have 38 percent more chances of getting depressed compared to those who do not drink sweetened drinks at all.

And what’s more, the chance of getting depressed is even greater for those who drink “diet.”

“Our research suggests that cutting out or down on sweetened diet drinks or replacing them with unsweetened coffee may naturally help lower your depression risk,” said lead researcher Dr. Honglei Chen of the National Institutes of Health in North Carolina.

The study involved 263,925 people aged 50 to 71 who answered questionnaires on their drink habits from 1995 to 1996. Ten year later, they were re-evaluated for depression diagnosis since 2000. 11,311 are confirmed to have depression.

Sugar and depression

Diane Tillman, author and educational psychologist, disclosed in a lecture with the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University in Mt. Abu, India, that sugar is emotionally destabilizing.

“(If you avoid) white sugar and artificial sweeteners, then my job is 20 percent easier because you won’t stay in the same level of depression,” she said.

So, what does this mean to us?

Cut on ready-to-drink fruit juices, soda, and powdered drinks.  Don’t be fooled by those advertised promises that come with such fancy phrases as “rich in antioxidants” or “rich in vitamins,” and other fancy terms fabricated by advertising firms. Supplementing drinks with vitamins and minerals doesn’t make it healthy. So, as much as you can, although they are honestly pretty convenient especially if you are in a hurry, try to avoid artificial fruit juices. Even those that claim to be real fruit juice still contain either sugar or artificial sweeteners that are known as aspartame, sucrose, and saccharose.

Go natural.  Fruits contain natural sugars, so if you decide to start juicing, then try to shy away from adding sugar, most specially refined sugar and artificial sweeteners. It’s easy to juice and you don’t really need any special equipment or devices. Start with citrus fruits like kalamansi, orange, and lemon. Also there are fruits that can be juiced easily like watermelon and passion fruit. Fresh fruits contain a lot of nutrients, more than preserved and processed fruit juices, and significantly more than powdered juice drinks.

Honey.  If you really can’t do without sweeteners, try honey and take advantage of its anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and antibacterial properties. Honey is perhaps one of the world’s most natural sweeteners, and it has more pros than cons. In fact, it is one of the safest sweeteners for diabetics. A study published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition on November 2009 and conducted by researchers from the Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center of the University of Tehran, showed that an eight-week consumption of honey by Type 2 diabetic patients had a positive effect on body weight and cholesterol levels.

Fruit juices are indeed good for our health, but when we opt for the more convenient artificial fruit juices which claims to contain real fruit juice powder, there is really no certainty if it will bring benefit to our body or more harm, and it looks like this study on depression and sweet drinks tells more on the risks of these convenient thirst quenchers. So, better be safe and choose natural. It’s cheaper, and it’s healthier.

Visit the author’s blog, Tribo’s Cup, at http://tribong-upos.xanga.com, or follow him on Twitter: @tribong_upos. For comments, email [email protected]