Eat Grapes To Ward Off Depression

Including grapes in your diet may have a positive impact on your mental health as researchers have found that certain grape-derived compounds might be developed as therapeutic agents for the treatment of depression.

"The discovery of these new, natural grape-derived polyphenol compounds targeting cellular and molecular pathways associated with inflammation may provide an effective way to treat a subset of people with depression and anxiety, a condition that affects so many people," said lead researcher Giulio Maria Pasinetti, Professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.

Depression is associated with a multitude of pathological processes, including inflammation of the peripheral immune system, a set of biological structures and processes in the lymph nodes and other tissues that protect against disease and abnormalities involving synapses, the structures that permit neurons to pass an electrical or chemical signal to other neurons.

ALSO READ: Here is a List of Food to Counter Depression and Stress: Try them out!

However, currently available antidepressants are largely restricted to targeting the systems that regulate serotonin, dopamine, and other related neurotransmitters, and these treatments do not specifically address inflammation and synaptic maladaptations that are now known to be associated with a major depressive disorder.

The new study found that a bioactive dietary polyphenol preparation from grape was effective in promoting resilience against stress-induced depression in mice.

ALSO READ: 5 Things You Can do to Treat Your Depression Instantly

Specifically, the researchers found that two grape-derived compounds dihydrocaffeic acid (DHCA) and malvidin-3′-O-glucoside (Mal-gluc) can promote resilience in mouse models of depression by modulating inflammation and synaptic plasticity, respectively.

"Our research shows that combination treatment with the two compounds can promote resilience against stress-mediated depression-like phenotypes by modulating systemic inflammatory responses and brain synaptic plasticity in a mouse model of depression," said Jun Wang, Associate Professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. (IANS)