(c) University of Otago
研究を行ったDr. Tamlin Conner
果物や野菜を多く食べることで気持ちが落ち着き，エネルギーに満ちてより幸せに感じるようになることが，281名の若者を対象とした調査で明らかになった。この調査では，平均年齢20歳の参加者が21日間，インターネット上の食事日記に食べたものを記入し，さらに果物，野菜，不健康な食品（菓子など）を食べたかどうかに関する質問に答えた。また，その日の気分を18の形容詞（肯定的なもの9つ，否定的なもの9つ）で評価した。その結果，果物と野菜を多く食べることが肯定的な気分につながることが分かった。研究者らは，このような効果を得るには，1日に手のひら7，8杯分の野菜や果物を食べる必要があると述べている。（吉田素子）
Otago Study Suggests Many Apples a Day Keep the Blues at Bay
Eating more fruit and vegetables may make young people calmer, happier and more energetic in their daily life, new research from the University of Otago suggests.
Department of Psychology researcher Dr Tamlin Conner, and Dr Caroline Horwath and Bonnie White from Otago's Department of Human Nutrition, investigated the relationship between day-to-day emotions and food consumption.
The study is published in the British Journal of Health Psychology today.
A total of 281 young adults (with a mean age of 20 years) completed an internet-based daily food diary for 21 consecutive days. Prior to this, participants completed a questionnaire giving details of their age, gender, ethnicity, weight and height. Those with a history of an eating disorder were excluded.
On each of the 21 days participants logged into their diary each evening and rated how they felt using nine positive and nine negative adjectives. They were also asked five questions about what they had eaten that day. Specifically, participants were asked to report the number of servings eaten of fruit (excluding fruit juice and dried fruit), vegetables (excluding juices), and several categories of unhealthy foods like biscuits/cookies, potato crisps, and cakes/muffins.
The results showed a strong day-to-day relationship between more positive mood and higher fruit and vegetable consumption, but not other foods.
"On days when people ate more fruits and vegetables, they reported feeling calmer, happier and more energetic than they normally did," says Dr Conner.
［単語和訳］
Many Apples a Day Keep the Blues at Bay：1日に多くのリンゴを食べることは憂うつになるのを防ぐ（"An apple a day keeps the doctor away（1日1個のリンゴで医者要らず）"ということわざを変えた表現。）
calmer ：より落ち着く（calmの比較級） energetic：エネルギーに満ちた
Psychology：心理学 researcher：研究者 Nutrition：栄養学 day-to-day：日々の，毎日の consumption：摂取（量）
internet-based：インターネットを使った consecutive：連続した Prior to：～に先立って participants：参加者 questionnaire：質問票 gender：性別 ethnicity：民族 a history of：～の既往 eating disorder：摂食障害 were excluded：除外された
logged into：～にログインした adjectives：形容詞 Specifically：特に servings：１回分の量（を単位とした数） excluding：～を除いて unhealthy：健康に悪い potato crisps：ポテトチップ muffins：マフィン
