According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 5% of adults worldwide suffer from depression. Recently, as the number of patients with depression due to COVID-19 increases and the aging population increases, the number of elderly depression patients is also increasing rapidly. In particular, depression in the elderly can be considered a phenomenon that occurs with ageing, but depression has a major impact on all aspects of life and is closely linked to physical health such as dementia, cardiovascular disease and stroke, so it is necessary prevent is growing
■ Intake of beans 4-7 times a week helps reduce the risk of developing depression in the elderly
According to a study published last September in the International Journal of Psychiatry, Frontiers in Psychiatry, by a research team from the Zhejiang Center for Disease Control and Prevention in China, the higher the consumption of soy, the lower the risk of depression in the elderly.
The research team interviewed 10,901 elderly people in Zhejiang Province, China about the frequency of food intake, and followed this for 6 years to examine the link between food intake and the incidence of depression. Finally, as a result of analyzing a total of 6,253 men and women with an average age of 68.2 years, the more often they consume soybean and soybean food, the lower the risk of developing depression.
Those who ate soy foods 4-7 times a week had a 54% lower risk of depression compared to those who ate soy foods once a week, and as a result of subgroup analysis, there was an increase of 50 g in the intake of soy food per week is related. with major depressive disorder showing an 8% lower risk. Accordingly, the research team suggested that regular consumption of soy foods could have a beneficial effect on the mental health of the elderly.
■ Intake of 25mg~100mg of isoflavone helps to improve symptoms of postmenopausal depression
According to a study by a research team at Lanzhou University in China published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice in August last year, it was found that phytoestrogens, especially isoflavones from soybeans, are effective in treating postmenopausal depression.
The research team collected 2,183 studies to evaluate the effect of phytoestrogens on the treatment of depression in postmenopausal women, and conducted a meta-analysis of 19 studies. A meta-analysis showed that phytoestrogens had a positive effect on postmenopausal depressive symptoms compared to placebo in 1,248 postmenopausal women. The comparison of effect with placebo was calculated by Standardized Mean Differences (SMD), and a negative number and a larger absolute value means that it is more effective than placebo.
The effect of phytoestrogens on postmenopausal depression was SMD -0.45. Among phytoestrogens, isoflavones (SDM -0.52) showed greater improvement in postmenopausal depression than lignans (SDM -0.23). Long-term intake of 25 mg to 100 mg of isoflavones per day has been shown to reduce symptoms of postmenopausal depression (SDM -0.45). Accordingly, the research team revealed that isoflavones and lignans could be considered as complementary treatments for postmenopausal depression.
Meanwhile, according to a study published in the SCI-level international academic journal ‘Food & Function’, isoflavones, one of the components of soybeans, reconstitutes the intestinal microflora and affects neurotransmitters, alleviating depressive-like behaviors a spirit known to do
