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Embarking on a low-calorie diet could potentially lead to negative mental health, researchers in Toronto, Canada, have revealed.

A new study, published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health, investigated how the adoption of restrictive diets could instigate depressive symptoms.

Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, researchers analyzed nearly 29,000 adults who reported their dietary habits and also completed a mental health questionnaire.

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Nearly 8% of these adults reported depressive symptoms.

Compared to those who did not follow a specific diet, those who stuck to a calorie-restrictive diet — including overweight individuals — saw an increase in depressive symptom severity, the study found.

People who followed a nutrient-restricted diet saw a larger increase in symptoms, while men who followed any diet reportedly showed “higher somatic symptom scores” compared to non-dieters.

The researchers concluded that there are “potential implications of widely followed diets on depressive symptoms, and a need for tailored dietary recommendations based on BMI and sex.”

Potential limitations

Judith S. Beck, PhD, president of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Pennsylvania, reacted to these findings in an interview with Fox News Digital.

The expert, who was not involved in the research, noted that it only showed an association between low-calorie diets and depression.

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“This is an important distinction, [because] correlation does not equal causation, and having a few depressive symptoms does not mean you have the condition of depression,” she said.

Beck noted that depression and negative emotions can also be caused by multiple cognitive, emotional or behavioral factors that are “more directly associated with depressive symptoms.”

Men showed higher scores for depressive symptoms than women, the study found. (iStock)

Fostering healthy habits

Certified holistic nutritionist Robin DeCicco in New York City commented that most Americans would benefit from losing weight, as 70% of Americans are overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This can be done by reducing the intake of sugary drinks and processed foods, and learning how to incorporate more whole foods like lean protein, vegetables, fruits and nuts, recommended DeCicco, who also was not involved in the study.

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The nutritionist also warned against following fad diets.

“It’s not sustainable or healthy to follow these trends because, most often, they are not educating the public on the type of nutrients you need to function mentally and physically, which is why it doesn’t surprise me that people can experience depressive and cognitive-affective symptoms when losing weight.”

Cutting out some high-fat foods like avocado and olive oil is also eliminating nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, a nutritionist cautioned. (iStock)

The quality of calories “matters dramatically,” DeCicco noted.

“While weight loss is about calories in and calories out, it’s also about the type of calories and what we need for fuel, protection against disease, and mental and physical satisfaction,” she said. 

“Food has the power to help us or harm us, and if we’re not eating certain foods known to promote mental well-being, we will definitely suffer from cognitive impairment and unstable mood.”

As an example, cutting out fats because they’re high in calories — like salmon, avocado, olive oil and nuts — also cuts out nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, which can reduce inflammation, prevent disease and improve cognition, mood and brain health, DeCicco noted.

“Food has the power to help us or harm us, and if we’re not eating certain foods known to promote mental well-being, we will definitely suffer from cognitive impairment and unstable mood.” (iStock)

“If someone wants to lose weight but also has a health history of cognitive decline or is diagnosed with depression, it is even more important to emphasize the food groups mentioned above,” DeCicco added.

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Beck echoed the importance of eating in a “very healthy way,” while also recommending that people consider cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

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“CBT helps people learn the cognitive (thinking) and behavioral skills they need to eat as healthily as possible given their circumstances, and to change their thinking so they can make long-term changes in their eating and improve their overall health,” she said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers for comment.

Following the surgeon general’s January advisory linking alcohol consumption to seven types of cancer, a new study from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has revealed another possible risk.

The research, recently published in the journal PLOS Medicine, classified alcohol as a carcinogen, highlighting a particular increased risk of pancreatic cancer.

The surgeon general’s previous advisory named cancers of the breast (in women), colorectum, esophagus, voice box, liver, mouth and throat.

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The researchers associated the pancreatic cancer risk with beer and spirits/liquor, but not with the intake of wine.

“Alcohol consumption is a known carcinogen, but until now, the evidence linking it specifically to pancreatic cancer has been considered inconclusive,” said senior study author Dr. Pietro Ferrari, head of the IARC Nutrition and Metabolism Branch, in a press release. 

“Our findings provide new evidence that pancreatic cancer may be another cancer type associated with alcohol consumption, a connection that has been underestimated until now.”

For the study, researchers recruited 2.5 million participants with a median age of 57, following them for about 16 years. 

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Out of the group, 10,067 cases of pancreatic cancer were recorded.

Each increase of 10 grams of ethanol per day in alcohol consumption was associated with a 3% increase in the risk of pancreatic cancer, the study found.

Research reveals alcohol may increase pancreatic cancer risk by 3% per 10 grams of daily intake. (iStock)

Women who consumed 15 to 30 grams of alcohol (about one to two standard drinks) per day had a 12% increase in pancreatic cancer risk. 

Men who consumed 30 to 60 grams (two to six standard drinks) per day had a 15% increased risk of pancreatic cancer, and intake of over 60 grams per day was associated with a 36% greater risk.

“There really isn’t a safe level of drinking when it comes to cancer risk.”

The research did have some limitations.

“This observational study examined alcohol intake evaluated at a single time point during mid-to-late adulthood and included a limited number of Asian cohorts,” the researchers wrote.

“Further research is needed to better understand the role of lifetime alcohol consumption — for example, during early adulthood — and the influence of specific consumption patterns, such as binge-drinking.”

Around 75,000 Americans each year are diagnosed with a cancer that is linked in some way to alcohol use, an expert said. (iStock)

Dr. Adam Scioli, an addiction psychiatrist at Caron Treatment Centers in Pennsylvania, previously commented to Fox News Digital that “alcohol is a toxin.”

“There have been reports for years that it could be beneficial for one’s health — but we know now that alcohol ingestion is one of the modifiable risk factors for cancer,” Scioli, who is not affiliated with IARC, told Fox News Digital.

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Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News, was not involved in the study but spoke with Fox News Digital about the findings. 

“This is in keeping with alcohol as a toxin that directly inflames and damages pancreatic cells,” he said. 

“There have been reports for years that it could be beneficial for one’s health — but we know now that alcohol ingestion is one of the modifiable risk factors for cancer,” an expert said. (iStock)

Around 75,000 Americans each year are diagnosed with a cancer that is in some way linked to alcohol use, according to Scioli. 

Dr. Neha Pathak, WebMD’s chief physician editor of health and lifestyle medicine, noted that the study highlights a new, independent risk factor for pancreatic cancer. 

“What’s important to know is that there really isn’t a safe level of drinking when it comes to cancer risk,” Atlanta-based Pathak, who also did not participate in the research, told Fox News Digital. 

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“This study reinforces that message — but it also shows how complex these links are, and how we need to keep digging deeper into the role of alcohol and different drinking habits in cancer development,” she added.

Fox News Digital reached out to several beverage industry associations requesting comment.

Melissa Rudy of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.