Citrus & Your Mood: How Oranges Can Fight Depression

Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health

Briana Mercola

Health & Fitness, Health, Alternative Health

4.6 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 15 April 2025

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Story at-a-glance

Depression affects more than 280 million people worldwide. Many patients do not fully respond to first-line medications or experience adverse side effects. This makes dietary influences on mood increasingly important
Regular citrus consumption is linked to a 22% reduced depression risk by increasing beneficial gut bacteria like Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, which supports neurotransmitter production
Citrus contains naringenin, formononetin, and hesperidin — plant compounds that nourish gut bacteria and influence the biochemical pathway responsible for neurotransmitter balance
Ultraprocessed food consumption increases depression risk by 49%, with artificial sweeteners and processed snacks being particularly harmful to gut health and brain function
Improving gut health requires removing vegetable oils, reducing endocrine disruptors and electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure, optimizing carbohydrate intake, and considering beneficial bacteria supplements

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Dr. Mercola's Cellular Wisdom.
0:04.0	Stay informed with quick, easy-to-listen summaries of our latest articles, perfect for when you're on the go.
0:09.3	No reading required.
0:10.8	Subscribe for free at Mercola.com for the latest health insights.
0:14.7	Hello and welcome to Dr. Mercola's Cellular Wisdom.
0:18.7	I'm Ethan Foster, here to guide our conversation on the
0:21.9	remarkable link between citrus fruits and mood. Today we'll discuss a growing body of research
0:27.5	that suggests eating oranges and other citrus might play a part in reducing depression risk.
0:33.1	I'm joined by my co-host, Ilara Sky. Thanks for being here to share your insights. Thank you, Ethan.
0:39.8	Depression is a concern for many people worldwide, with more than 280 million individuals affected.
0:46.6	Many don't respond fully to standard treatments, so the role of nutrition in mental health is
0:51.0	becoming increasingly significant. Let's delve into how citrus consumption
0:55.1	relates to depressive symptoms. According to a study from Massachusetts General Hospital
1:00.1	and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, regular citrus consumption may reduce the risk
1:06.2	of depression by about 22%. This is intriguing because the researchers found a link between eating citrus
1:12.7	and the presence of a particular gut bacterium called phaicalabacterium prausnitsi. What do we need
1:20.6	to understand about that connection? The key point here is that phyacala bacterium
1:25.3	prowsnitsy, or f-prowsnitsy, seems to support the production of
1:30.1	neurotransmitters like dopamine. Neurotransmitters are chemicals in the brain that influence our mood.
1:36.2	The study showed that women who regularly ate citrus had higher levels of this beneficial
1:41.5	bacterium, which correlated with a reduced incidence of depression.
1:45.9	This effect was specific to citrus. Other fruits, such as apples or bananas, didn't yield
	...

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