PRESS RELEASEEMBARGOED UNTIL 22 JULY 2024, 12PM SGT / 12AM ESTBoosting fruit intake during midlife can ward off late-life blues: NUS
studyIn a large Singapore cohort study involving over 13,000 participants spanning
close to 20 years, higher consumption of fruits during midlife was found to be
associated with lower odds of depressive symptoms at late-life
Singapore, 22 July 2024Populations are rapidly ageing worldwide, and there is an increased
prevalence of late-life depressive symptoms among older adults, which include depressedfeelings, lack of pleasure, delayed cognitive processing and reduced volitional activity, often
accompanied by loss of appetite, insomnia, poor concentration, and increased fatigue. Thishas been related to underlying neurodegenerative changes in the brain associated with ageing.
The growing imperative to keep older adults in good health has spurred extensive research
into approaches that could prevent late-life depression, and accumulating evidence hasrevealed the plausible role of dietary factors in protecting against depression in ageing. Could
specific diet or food items consumed earlier in life have an impact on mental well-being in lateryears?
In a longitudinal study conducted by the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National
University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), involving 13,738 participants from the large
population-based Singapore Chinese Health Study that tracked participants through their midlife to later life spanning about 20 years, researchers found that participants who consumed
higher quantities of fruits earlier in life exhibited a reduced likelihood of experiencing
depressive symptoms later in life.
The authors studied a total of 14 fruits most commonly consumed in Singapore and found thatthe consumption of most fruits, including oranges, tangerines, bananas, papayas,
watermelons, apple and honey melon, was associated with reduced likelihood of depression.
The association could possibly be the high levels of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory
micronutrients in fruits—such as vitamin C, carotenoids and flavonoids—which have beenshown to reduce oxidative stress and inhibit inflammatory processes in the body that may
affect the development of depression. Consumption of vegetables, on the other hand, wasfound to have no association with the likelihood of depressive symptoms. The findings,published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, provide valuable insights into thepotential benefits of eating sufficient fruits in mitigating depressive symptoms later in life.
1Professor Koh Woon Puay from the Healthy Longevity Translational Research
Programme at NUS Medicine and Principal Investigator of the study, said, “Our study
underscores the importance of fruit consumption as a preventive measure against ageingrelated depression. In our study population, participants who had at least 3 servings of fruits
a day, compared to those with less than one serving a day, were able to reduce the likelihoodof ageing-related depression significantly by at least 21%. This can be achieved by eating one
to two servings of fruits after every meal. We did not see any difference in our results between
fruits with high and low glycemic index. Hence, for those with diabetes, they can choose fruits
with low glycemic index that will not raise blood sugars as much as those with high index.”
At the initial stage of the study from 1993 to 1998, when participants were of average age of51 years, they were asked to answer a structured questionnaire on how often they consumed
a standard serving size of each food item daily, for 14 fruits and 25 vegetables. In 2014 to2016, when participants were of average age of 73 years, depressive symptoms were
examined using a standard test (Geriatric Depression Scale) and 3,180 (23.1%) participants
who reported having five or more symptoms were considered to have depression in our study.
After adjusting for factors that could potentially confound the relationship, including medical
history, smoking status, level of physical activity, sleep duration, and ageing-related factors,
the team found that higher consumption of fruits, but not vegetables, was associated withlower odds of depressive symptoms in a stepwise manner.
Prof Koh added, “Our study aimed to examine the relationship of mid-life consumption of fruits
and vegetables with the risk of depressive symptoms in late life. Although other studies havealso examined the associations of fruits and vegetables with risk of depression, there areinconsistencies in the results, and many of them were done in Western populations. To ourbest knowledge, ours is the largest population-based study in an Asian population to study
this association.”
These findings suggest that promoting fruit consumption for individuals in mid adulthood,
typically defined as ages 40 to 65 years, could yield long-term benefits for their mental wellbeing at late adulthood beyond 65 years. Hence, the study’s results hold significant
implications for public health education and initiatives to make fruits more accessible for thegeneral population. Following the study, the research team is looking into the association ofother modifiable behavioural factors, such as sleep duration, smoking and other dietary factors,
with the mental health of older adults.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Gladys SIM
Senior Assistant Manager, Communications
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
National University of Singapore
DID: +65 9007 1322
Email: gladyssim@nus.edu.sg

2About National University of Singapore (NUS)
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore’s flagship university, which offers aglobal approach to education, research and entrepreneurship, with a focus on Asianperspectives and expertise. We have 16 colleges, faculties and schools across three
campuses in Singapore, with more than 40,000 students from 100 countries enriching ourvibrant and diverse campus community. We have also established more than 20 NUS
Overseas Colleges entrepreneurial hubs around the world.
Our multidisciplinary and real-world approach to education, research and entrepreneurshipenables us to work closely with industry, governments and academia to address crucial andcomplex issues relevant to Asia and the world. Researchers in our faculties, research centresof excellence, corporate labs and more than 30 university-level research institutes focus onthemes that include energy; environmental and urban sustainability; treatment and preventionof diseases; active ageing; advanced materials; risk management and resilience of financialsystems; Asian studies; and Smart Nation capabilities such as artificial intelligence, datascience, operations research and cybersecurity.
For more information on NUS, please visit http://www.nus.edu.sg/

About the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine)
The NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine is Singapore’s first and largest medical school.
Our enduring mission centres on nurturing highly competent, values-driven and inspired
healthcare professionals to transform the practice of medicine and improve health aroundthe world.
Through a dynamic and future-oriented five-year curriculum that is inter-disciplinary andinter-professional in nature, our students undergo a holistic learning experience that exposes
them to multiple facets of healthcare and prepares them to become visionary leaders andcompassionate doctors and nurses of tomorrow. Since the School’s founding in 1905, morethan 12,000 graduates have passed through our doors.
In our pursuit of health for all, our strategic research programmes focus on innovative,cutting-edge biomedical research with collaborators around the world to deliver high impact
solutions to benefit human lives.
The School is the oldest institution of higher learning in the National University of Singapore
and a founding institutional member of the National University Health System. It is one of theleading medical schools in Asia and ranks among the best in the world (Times Higher
Education World University Rankings 2024 by subject and the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS)
World University Rankings by subject 2023).
For more information about NUS Medicine, please visit https://medicine.nus.edu.sg/

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