"People who eat vegetables fruit and whole grains may have lower rates of depression over time according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurologys th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles April  to  .  The study found that people whose diets adhered more closely to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension DASH diet were less likely to develop depression than people who did not closely follow the diet. In addition to fruit and vegetables the DASH diet recommends fatfree or lowfat dairy products and limits foods that are high in saturated fats and sugar. Studies have shown health benefits such as lowering high blood pressure and bad cholesterol LDL along with lowering body weight.  Depression is common in older adults and more frequent in people with memory problems vascular risk factors such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol or people who have had a stroke said study author Laurel Cherian MD of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. Making a lifestyle change such as changing your diet is often preferred over taking medications so we wanted to see if diet could be an effective way to reduce the risk of depression.  For the study  participants with an average age of  were evaluated yearly for an average of sixandahalf years. They were monitored for symptoms of depression such as being bothered by things that usually didnt affect them and feeling hopeless about the future. They also filled out questionnaires about how often they ate various foods and the researchers looked at how closely the participants diets followed diets such as the DASH diet Mediterranean diet and the traditional Western diet.  Participants were divided into three groups based on how closely they adhered to the diets. People in the two groups that followed the DASH diet most closely were less likely to develop depression than people in the group that did not follow the diet closely. The odds of becoming depressed over time was  percent lower among the top group of DASH adherers versus the lowest group. On the other hand the more closely people followed a Western dieta diet that is high in saturated fats and red meats and low in fruits and vegetablesthe more likely they were to develop depression. Cherian noted that the study does not prove that the DASH diet leads to a reduced risk of depression it only shows an association.  Future studies are now needed to confirm these results and to determine the best nutritional components of the DASH diet to prevent depression later in life and to best help people keep their brains healthy said Cherian.   Register now for the  AAN Annual Meeting Press Room in Los Angeles April   https  Media Contacts  Renee Tessman rtessmanaan.com mailtortessmanaan.com    Michelle Uher muheraan.com mailtomuheraan.com   The study was supported by the National Institute on Aging.  Learn more about brain health at http The American Academy of Neurology is the worlds largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals with over  members. The AAN is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patientcentered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimers disease stroke migraine multiple sclerosis concussion Parkinsons disease and epilepsy. For more information about the American Academy of Neurology visit http or find us on Facebook Twitter Google LinkedIn and YouTube."