Handouts and internet resources for healthy eating
Last updated on 11th April 2011
Looking back over relevant research papers that caught my attention last month, some stand out for me more than the others. Here are three on depression that stood out and got me thinking. The Fergusson et al paper looks at links between alcohol abuse and major depression. There has been debate for years on whether alcohol dependence leads to depression or depression leads to alcohol dependence. In this kind of debate, it's usually a good bet that both pathways contain some truth. What this study adds is that often it is the alcohol dependence that is primary. As the authors state " ... the associations between AAD (alcohol abuse or dependence) and MD (major depression) were best explained by a causal model in which problems with alcohol led to increased risk of MD as opposed to a self-medication model in which MD led to increased risk of AAD."
I thank you God for most this amazing day: for the leaping greenly spirits of the trees, and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes.
- e e cummings
Here are a series of information and assessment handouts on alcohol and food. "We are what we eat" is bit over-simplified, but only a bit. It's amazing how important what we eat and drink is for our psychological and physical health. This site's blog posts "New research shows diet's importance for preventing depression" and "Preventing cancer through life style choices" make this point well and also provide links with many other sources of information. Searching the tag cloud brings up much recent relevant research and advice. Try clicking, for example, on