Watch out if you’re dieting: Cutting your calories too much could affect your mental health, according to a study

Certain foods have been found to boost people’s mood, so it would make sense that if you restrict the amount and types of food that you take in that it might make you depressed. Now there is potential evidence of this in a new study published in the journal BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health.

Researchers looked at the responses to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey about diet quality and symptoms of depression of over 28,000 adults. From that data they found that those who were on calorie or nutrient-restrictive diets were more likely to have higher scores of depression and physical distress.

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Cutting calories could make certain people gloomy

The study found that men and those who have a body mass index that classifies them as overweight were particularly susceptible to feeling depressed by a calorie-restrictive diet.

Furthermore, the quality of the diet was shown to have a direct bearing on the risk of depression. Those who reported having a diet loaded with ultra-processed foods were more likely to say they had higher levels of depression. Meanwhile, those following a Mediterranean-style diet reported lower rates of depression.

This should not be surprising as several previous studies have found an association between healthy diets like the Mediterranean diet can help reduce the risk of depression and improve mental and physical health.

“The findings suggest caution with overly restrictive or unbalanced diets, particularly for people already experiencing weight-related stress or challenges,” said lead study author Dr. Venkat Bhat, psychiatrist, clinician-researcher, and director of the Interventional Psychiatry Program at St. Michael’s Hospital and University of Toronto.

While the study cannot give a definitive link between restrictive-caloric diets and depression only an association due to the format of the survey, Bhat still suggests those on a diet should refrain from strict caloric restrictions given the results.

Instead, they should opt for “balanced, sustainable dietary changes that meet nutritional needs and consider individual psychological impacts may help minimize potential negative effects on mood.”

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