Most parents know the kitchen can turn into a battleground in high school. There is less time, more independence, and a lot more choice about what lands on the plate or in the lunchbox. By the time a teen is making their own breakfast, their mood is often changing too.
A new three-year Australian study, published in Child and Adolescent Mental Health, followed 6,537 students from Year 7 to Year 10 across 71 schools.
Each extra daily serving of fruit was linked to a 13 percent lower risk of elevated depression symptoms. The same extra serving was linked to a 7 percent lower risk of elevated anxiety symptoms.
Across the three years, teens averaged roughly two to two and a half servings of fruit a day. One serving was defined as 150 grams, which is about a medium apple or a banana.
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Sugary drinks pulled in the opposite direction
The reverse pattern showed up for sugar-sweetened drinks such as soft drinks, cordials and sports drinks. Teens who drank more of them were more likely to develop depression and anxiety symptoms during the study.
The link to sugary drinks appeared in both boys and girls. It was stronger in boys, particularly for anxiety. Vegetables, perhaps surprisingly, showed no clear tie to either outcome.
What the researchers caution about the result
The lead author is Dr Lily Davidson of the University of Sydney's Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use. She cautioned against reading the finding as proof that one food can decide a mood.
"High school is a time when young people start gaining much more independence over what they eat and drink, at the same time as many mental health problems start to emerge," Davidson told EducationHQ.
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Senior author Associate Professor Katrina Champion added that the environment around teens, not just their individual choices, matters. She pointed to schools, families and governments as having a role in making healthier food easier to reach.
This is an observational study, so it can show associations but not cause and effect. The link between fruit and depression in boys weakened when the researchers analyzed only teens with complete data.
How this fits with current guidance
Health groups push in the same direction on sugary drinks. The American Heart Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and other experts jointly recommend that children and teens aged 5 to 18 avoid sugar-sweetened drinks entirely.
They should drink mostly plain water or plain pasteurized milk instead, with only limited amounts of 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice.
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This article is made and published by Aksel Kryhlmand, who may have used AI in the preparation.