New research has found that the enzyme “estradiol” may be responsible for depression, especially in some women during their childbearing years.
In the research published on the websiteScience DirectThe enzyme estradiol is the primary form of estrogen that women’s bodies use most during their fertile years.
The researchers compared the enzyme levels of 91 women between the ages of 18 and 45 with depression and 98 without depression, and found that the depressed women had lower levels of the enzyme than average.
It is known that the natural decrease in estradiol during menopause and following pregnancy is associated with negative mood changes as well.
The association of depression with estradiol likely explains why it is twice as common in women as it is in men.
Previous studies have also demonstrated the importance of nutrition for addressing mental health disorders, finding that those with severe mental disorders such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and depression tend to eat a poor diet that contains a lot of calories.
