Are Certain Foods More Appealing to People with Depression? Study Sheds Light - Video

Researchers discovered that although patients with depression generally have less appetite, they prefer carbohydrate-rich foods. The results have now been published in the journal "Psychological Medicine".

Patients, especially those with severe depression, often report changes in their appetite.

The study shows that depression is associated with specific changes in eating preferences, which can be explained by the composition of the foods shown. Crucial components for preferences are so-called macronutrients, which make up our diet: carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Carbohydrates are one of the main sources of energy for

human cells.

People suffering from depression show a lower craving for foods rich in fat and protein compared to a healthy control group. In contrast, they tend to prefer carbohydrate-rich foods such as sweets. In the study, a higher proportion of carbohydrates also led to an increased liking of fat- and protein-rich foods for people with depression. In other words, patients with depression also had an increased craving for foods combining fat and carbohydrates such as milk chocolate. Such energy-dense foods also tend to characterize an unhealthy diet. Until now, it was assumed that the craving for carbohydrate-rich foods was linked to a greater appetite.

In the future, an accompanying dietary therapy could therefore put to the test if a change in preference for certain foods occurs during depression. It could also be investigated whether a lasting improvement in depression is possible by optimizing the patient’s diet.

"Therapies targeting the connection between the gut and brain appear particularly promising in the future. Initial studies have already shown that fasting or probiotic foods can have an antidepressant effect," says first author Lilly Thurn, a member of Prof. Kroemer's team at the UKB's Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the time of the study and currently a Master's student at Maastricht University. "It has also been shown that people with depression have changes in their microbiome that could exacerbate various symptoms."

Reference: Thurn L, Schulz C, Borgmann D, et al. Altered food liking in depression is driven by macronutrient composition. Psychological Medicine. 2025;55:e20. doi:10.1017/S0033291724003581