Researchers enrolled 171 students between the ages of 18 and 25 in the study and divided them into three groups for 2 weeks.
One group continued their normal eating habits, one group continued with personal meals every day. two additional servings of fresh fruits and vegetables (including carrots, kiwi fruit, apples and oranges), the remaining group received prepaid produce coupons, and reminders about fruit consumption were sent to their mobile phones.
At the beginning and end of the study, participants underwent psychological assessments that assessed mood, vitality, motivation, symptoms of depression and levels of anxiety, and other determinants of mental health and well-being.
The researchers personally administered extra fruit and found that participants who took vegetables consumed most of these products at 3.7 servings per day for 2 weeks, resulting in an improvement in the psychological well-being of this group. Specifically, these participants showed vitality, motivation, and improvement.
The other two groups did not show improvement in psychological well-being over the 2-week period.
Furthermore, there was no improvement in depression and anxiety symptoms in any group. According to the authors, "The vast majority of studies linking depression to diet have been longitudinal, meaning that possible differences in disease may occur over a much longer period of time rather than a short 2-week period."
Nevertheless, the researchers say their findings suggest that increasing the intake of fruits and vegetables through personal birth provides immediate benefits for psychological well-being.
The team concludes:
"Providing young adults with high-quality fruits and vegetables improved their psychological well-being over a 2-week period." It is the first study to show why this might happen.
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