A study published in the January issue of the Journal of Marketing tells us what all women already knew: when people are sad they tend to turn to “comfort” foods more often than when they are happy. Any woman who has spent her life experiencing the hormonal mood swings of PMS and menopause understands this very well.

Several studies compared the amount of buttered popcorn or grapes consumed by two groups, one that watched sad movies and read sad stories and another that watched an upbeat movie and read happy stories. Not surprisingly, those exposed to the sad movie and stories ate much more of the less healthy snack.

Okay, so we know that when we are down, we look for a quick shot of euphoria in junky but tasty snacks. The possibility of always remaining happy and upbeat is not a viable solution, there are times when everyone will experience some sadness or disappointment. So, what do we do about our tendency to self-medicate with unhealthy snacks?

Read the nutrition label, say the researchers. Those in the sad group that were exposed to the nutritional facts about the unhealthy snack curbed their consumption. Interestingly, those in the happy group didn’t eat less after reading nutritional information. They were already regulating their consumption by mood.

Personally, when I reach for the chocolate cake or greasy bacon cheeseburger, the last thing I want to think about is how unhealthy it is and how much I will suffer for it later. But the research indicates that when we do inform ourselves of the nutritional facts and consider the consequences, we can make better decisions – even when we are down in the dumps.

I am now going to reorganize my cupboards. I am going to turn all the food packages around so I see the nutrition labels first, rather than the tasty illustrations of the food inside.

Mood-Food Connection: We Eat More And Less-Healthy Comfort Foods When We Feel Down, Study Finds

The subject of the Holiday Blues and the Winter Blahs comes up so often that we can find ourselves believing that it is natural and normal to feel depressed during the Christmas season. To some extent, we will all have some holiday stress and our expectations can be set a bit high leading to minor disappointments. But don’t overlook symptoms that could signal real depression.

I was talking to a casual acquaintance the other day and she began to tell me how this year she suddenly has no interest in Christmas. This wouldn’t be unusual except that this has always been her favorite time of year. This year, however, she hasn’t sent Christmas cards, she hasn’t put up a tree, she hasn’t done any decorating or shopping. Further, she began to tell me that she doesn’t want to get out of bed and go to work, she didn’t participate in the holiday events at her office. She doesn’t even want to be home with her husband. The key to all this may be her confession that she is also in the throes of menopause.

Midlife is a time of increased risk of depression for women. Studies show that it is most likely to occur during the onset of menopause and may be associated with the decline in estrogen levels.

Symptoms of depression include:

* depressed mood
* changes in appetite
* decreased interest or pleasure in activities
* change in sleep patterns
* fatigue, or loss of energy
* difficulty concentrating
* restlestness and irritability
* thoughts of suicide

Although some symptoms of menopause may overlap symptoms of depression, if you experience any of these symptoms, consult your doctor. Recognizing that these symptoms require intervention is the most important step. I managed to extract a promise from my acquaintance that she would, indeed, call her doctor that very day and seek some professional advice.

Here’s a link to a source on depression in midlife, symptoms, treatments and ways to get help.

University of Michigan Depression Center

As I sit here writing this, the world outside my window is still unlit. The sun won’t be up for hours and it will have gone again by the time I return to my desk this evening. This is the time of year when most of us leave for work in the dark and are indoors for most of the daylight hours only to leave work to go home in the dark. It’s that long stretch between the end of daylight savings time and the first recapturing of daylight minutes. We watch night descend earlier and earlier each evening until we reach the winter solstice.

Although the seemingly ubiquitous darkness makes all of us feel a little depressed, for some it is a serious condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. Many people experience the winter blues but people with SAD can suffer serious depression during the winter months.

The typical symptoms of SAD include depression, lack of energy, increased need for sleep, a craving for sweets and weight gain.

For those with SAD there are several different types of therapy used to treat its effects. Light therapies involve exposure to specially constructed bright lights. For some people SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) alleviate some of the depression associated with SAD. If you think you suffer from SAD, seek help from a medical professional.

For the rest of us, there are things we can do to shake the winter blahs. Exercise elevates mood and if you can, take a walk outside. Instead of spending your lunch hour indoors, go out for a stroll or a drive. Enjoy the sun while it shines and get plenty of fresh air. Remember, Spring is only 102 days away!

Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have found a connection between depression and loss of bone mass.

Loss of bone density in people suffering major depression had been documented but a direct link between the two conditions had never been established.

In the study, scientists induced a depression-like state in mice. The mice showed symptoms of depression such as a decrease in social interaction. After four weeks, the mice showed a dramatic bone mass loss including the hip bone and the vertebra.

The researchers found that depression caused secretion within the bone of noradrenaline, which has a detrimental effect on bone-building cells. Use of anti-depressants blocked the secretion of noradrenaline and thus halted bone mass loss.

Loss of bone mass is the leading cause of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women.

Read more about the study here.