Peeling Good: The Surprising Link Between Citrus & Depression & Mental Health

Overview:

Numerous studies suggest a link between nutrients found in citrus fruits and mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and cognitive function.
Citrus flesh is high in dietary fibre, which promotes a healthy gut biome. Studies suggest a strong link between gut health and mental wellbeing.
Citrus fruit is high in Vitamin C, which studies indicate may play an important role in regulating the stress hormone Cortisol.
They are also high in folate, which also helps with stress management
Some citrus fruit, such as Cara Cara oranges and pink grapefruit, get their colouring from antioxidants called Flavonoids. Research indicates that folate plays a crucial role in supporting healthy cognitive function
Blood oranges contain high levels of anthocyanins, a very powerful antioxidant with strong anti-inflammatory properties that protect the brain and support good mental wellbeing.
When included as part of a healthy, balanced diet and lifestyle, there is growing evidence that citrus fruit can help support mental health and wellness.

Citrus season is in full swing, which means the entire Dracula family has emerged from its crypt and is infiltrating produce aisles across Australia and North America.

Naughty Navels? Present!

Pink Cara Caras? Looking fabulous, Daaahling!

Baby Mandarins, Mega Mandys, Tangelo Minneolas, Lemons and our spectacular Blood Oranges? All lurking in attendance and all frighteningly delicious.

It’s no lost mystical secret that citrus fruit is ghoulishly good for your physical health. However, with R U OK? Day approaching on September 10th, we thought it was time to ask a slightly different question: Could eating citrus also support how you feel emotionally and psychologically?

Research into the link between food and mental health has been quietly gathering momentum in recent years, evolving to one of the more fertile areas of research in the field. It doesn’t take a PhD candidate to know that chocolate makes people happy. However, what we’re talking about here is a more systematic relationship between what we put in our mouths and our minds. Study after study has either pointed to or uncovered robust evidence to support a connection between higher fruit consumption and better mental wellbeing and a lower risk of depressive symptoms. However, controlled trials remain limited, and results are mixed, so nobody should start writing “MANDARINS CURE MISERY!” across the nearest billboard just yet^1,2.

However, what we can say with absolute certainty is that citrus delivers a potent mix of health-giving micronutrients: fibre, vitamin C, folate, and powerful plant-based compounds associated with positive outcomes in gut health, stress responses, brain function, and inflammation. While nobody doubts the biological benefits of citrus fruits, it’s reassuring to have such a wealth of robust evidence describing exactly what that looks like for our everyday lives and physical and emotional wellbeing.

Let’s peel back the rind of the science and reveal an easy-to-digest picture of exactly how citrus fruit can help beat the blues.

The Gut-Brain Connection: Your Belly Has Feelings Too, You Know

Have you ever felt butterflies in your stomach before a bone-chilling event? Lost your appetite due to a monstrous bout of anxiety? Perhaps you’re no stranger to reaching for enough chocolate to topple a vampire after returning to your lair following a horrific day at the office?

All of these urges and emotions occur because, unbeknownst to you, your gut and brain are secretly in cahoots, busily exchanging messages with one another at all times without you even knowing it.

The so-called “gut-brain axis” is not a loose coalition of evil masterminds plotting to take over the world. It’s a two-way communication network connecting your digestive and central nervous systems. The members of this biological group chat include nerves, hormones, immune signals and trillions of microorganisms living in your gut².

These microbes help break down dietary fibre and produce substances called short-chain fatty acids, which can influence the intestinal barrier, immune activity and signalling between the gut and brain. Researchers have found associations between disturbances in the gut microbiome and several psychiatric conditions. However, the relationship status is currently listed as “it’s complicated”. While there is a growing body of evidence of a causal link, the science has not yet conclusively established that changing gut bacteria will cure a mental-health condition³. The bottom line is, keep doing what you’re doing, nurture your gut biome, but make it a part of your general wellness routine, rather than putting all your fruit in this one basket.

Where does citrus come in?

Whole oranges, mandarins, tangelos, grapefruit and other citrus contain some of the highest levels of dietary fibre of any fruits. Unlike juice, which loses much of the fibre during processing, whole fruit gives your gut microbes a smorgasbord of their favourite treats to devour. A sumptuous, romantic meal puts them in the mood to multiply faster, tipping the balance of your biome to the good side.

Charming little critters when you get to know them!

Vitamin C: Taking Some of the Bite Out of Stress

Vitamin C is the celebrity nutrient of the citrus world. It hogs the nutritional limelight, especially when cold and flu season comes around. That connection is well deserved, as citrus fruits remain one of the easiest and most scrumptious ways to ensure your C levels are adequate.

What many people don’t know about Vitamin C is its intriguing relationship with stress.

When trapped in a dungeon, chased by werewolves, or facing any other stressful situation that life can throw at you, your body releases cortisol. This hormone helps mobilise energy to make you alert and ready to respond to danger rapidly. This is perfect for when you’re fighting off brain-eating zombies. However, during the working day, constant small stresses like overflowing inboxes, grumpy bosses, incompetent colleagues and annoying clients can cause cortisol to incrementally build up to unhealthy levels and stay there for extended periods. Being in a constant state of fight-or-flight is hardly a healthy emotional place to be.

Vitamin C helps regulate the body’s cortisol production, with studies showing that sufficient doses can help flatten out the peaks and counteract the stress that people feel from everyday life^4,5. Again, it’s not quite as simple as an orange a day. An average orange contains about 70- 80 mg of Vitamin C. Sure, that’s about 80% of your recommended daily intake, but these studies trialled mega-doses ranging from 1,000–3,000mg per day. So, a Daily Drac won’t drive a stake through the heart of your stress, but it will play its part in vanquishing the foe!

Folate: Helping the Brain Make Its Chemical Messengers

Folate, otherwise known as vitamin B9, is best known for supporting healthy development during pregnancy. However, its job doesn’t end once the wailing, poopy nappies and sleepless nights begin.

Your brain uses folate in processes that help produce and regulate neurotransmitters, including the ones that play a pivotal part in your mood: serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline.

The relationship is not as simple as “eat folate, manufacture happiness”. The brain is not a vending machine, and serotonin production depends on numerous nutrients, enzymes and biological processes.

However, low folate status has repeatedly been associated with depression. By contrast, studies showed that increasing folate levels can neutralise this phenomenon⁶. As we’ve seen above, this does not make citrus fruit a magic bullet that will end your folate issues. However, oranges are among the more plentiful sources of folate, so including them in a varied diet can help provide more of the raw nutritional materials your nervous system needs to do its extraordinarily complicated job.

No cape. No dramatic entrance music. Just quiet, dependable biological admin.

Flavonoids: Citrus Compounds With Plenty of Brainpower

Flavonoids are natural plant compounds that help create the colour, flavour and protective properties of fruit and vegetables. Notably – you guessed it – flavonoids are found in swathes in citrus fruit!

Researchers are interested in flavonoids because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and their potential influence on blood flow and signalling within the brain. Their work has found small but important improvements in cognitive function in people consuming these compounds^7,8. One of these studies specifically used orange juice as its source of flavonoids, with promising results⁹.

You probably guessed the next sentence: The evidence suggests potential impact rather than a magic cure for your brain fog. Nevertheless, choosing flavonoid-rich whole fruit as a regular snack seems a far more promising strategy than staring into the fridge and hoping your keys materialise somewhere between the Vegemite jar and last Tuesday’s stirfry leftovers.

Anthocyanins: Blood Orange Protection From the Dark Side

Anthocyanins are pigments that give blueberries, cherries, blackcurrants and Dracula Citrus^™’ signature blood oranges their deep red, purple and blue colouring.

They are also what separates our bloodthirsty beauties from ordinary oranges. Cara Caras get their pink colour mainly from carotenoids, whereas Blood Oranges earn their dramatic crimson flesh from anthocyanins.

As we have previously established, blood oranges are incredibly good for you. Their anthocyanins have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties¹⁰ that are attracting plenty of attention from brain researchers.

Inflammation is part of the body’s defence system. In the short term, it helps us respond to infection or injury. When inflammation becomes chronic or poorly regulated, however, it may disrupt communication between brain cells and has been implicated in neurological and psychiatric disorders. By disrupting this process, anthocyanins can regulate inflammation and reduce oxidative stress. More research is required, and studies to date used concentrated anthocyanins rather than fruit salad as their clinical pathway¹¹.

However, blood oranges offer anthocyanins alongside vitamin C, folate, fibre and citrus flavanones. That is an impressive collection of nutritional talent in one gloriously gothic package!

This R U OK? Day, Feed the Conversation

No single food can guarantee happiness, banish anxiety or treat depression. Mental health is shaped by an intricate mixture of biology, relationships, circumstances, sleep, movement, healthcare and countless other factors.

Food is one part of that bigger picture.

Adding a Navel, Blood Orange, Pink Cara Cara, Baby Mandarin, Mega Mandy or Tangelo to your day provides nutrients and plant compounds involved in normal brain and body function. It is simple, delicious and significantly easier than interpreting the average wellness influencer’s 47-step morning routine.

More importantly, R U OK? Day reminds us that supporting mental health is about people, not just nutrients.

On September 10th this year, share a kind word and some yummy citrus with somebody you care about, to see if they are Ok?

Listen properly to the answer. That conversation could matter far more than anything in the fruit bowl.

This article provides general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental-health advice. Citrus fruit can support a balanced diet but does not prevent or treat mental illness. If you or somebody you know needs urgent support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. If life is in immediate danger, call 000.

FAQ

Does citrus fruit help promote good mental health?

A: Many of the nutrients found in citrus fruits have been proven to play a role in supporting good mental health and wellbeing.

What is the link between citrus fruit and depression?

A: Citrus fruits are very high in fibre, which supports a healthy gut biome. Research has identified a strong link between gut health and mental health, including lowering depression.

Does eating citrus help reduce stress?

A: Studies show that high doses of Vitamin C are effective in regulating the stress hormone Cortisol. Citrus fruits are one of the best and most delicious sources of Vitamin C and may help people better manage stress.

Does eating citrus help boost serotonin and dopamine levels?

A: Citrus fruit is high in folate, also known as Vitamin B9, which research suggests boosts the body’s production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline, all of which play a crucial role in boosting mood.

Does eating citrus help maintain cognitive function?

A: Some citrus fruits such as Cara Cara Oranges and pink grapefruits get their pink colour from flavonoids, which have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may help the body maintain good cognitive function.

an Blood oranges help maintain cognitive function?

A: Blood oranges contain incredibly potent antioxidants called anthocyanins, which have anti-inflammatory properties that may help protect the brain from cognitive decline.

Does eating citrus fruit improve mental health

A: When included as part of a nutritionally balanced diet and healthy lifestyle, there is a growing body of research to suggest that eating citrus fruit daily may help to support good mental health and cognitive function.