A diet with a high content of refined carbohydrates in the food you eat may increase the risk of depression in postmenopausal women, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The study, as reported in an article on NDTV.com, indicates foods such as white bread and rice, with a high glycemic index, contribute to the condition.  Eating foods with carbohydrates leads to an increase in blood sugar levels, to varying degrees, depending on the type food ingested.

Foods with a high glycemic index break down into simple sugars at a rapid rate, entering the blood stream and causing a rise in insulin levels.

The researchers looked at the results of the US National Institutes of Health’s Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study between 1994 and 1998, to make the analysis.  More than 70,000 postmenopausal women participated in the study.

The data also showed the the more highly refined the carbohydrate, the higher it scored on the glycemic scale.  The glycemic scale measures the amount of  sugar found in a blood sample after eating, and is rated from 0-100.

The spike in blood sugar may cause mood swings and lead to depression, fatigue and other depression-like symptoms found in postmenopausal women.

James Gangwisch, and colleagues from Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) in New York analyzed the data and said the research also shows that increased consumption of fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains and foods rich in dietary fiber are associated with lower risk of depression.