Consuming refined carbohydrates may leave you feeling depressed, according to a recent study.

Researchers at Columbia University found that a diet high in refined carbohydrates may lead to an increased risk for depression in postmenopausal women. However, increasing dietary intake can offset this risk, psychiatryadvisor.com reported.

Refined foods such as white bread, white rice, and soda trigger a hormonal response in the body to reduce blood sugar levels. The study suggests that this response may also cause or exacerbate mood changes, fatigue and other symptoms of depression.

For the study, researchers collected and analyzed data from more than 70,000 postmenopausal women who participated in the National Institutes of Health's Women's Health Initiative Observational Study between 1994 and 1998.

Consumption of carbohydrates increases blood sugar levels to varying degrees, depending on the type of food ingested. The more highly refined the carbohydrate, the higher its score on the glycemic index (GI) scale. The GI scale, which goes from 0-100, measures the amount of sugar found in the blood after eating.

The investigators found that progressively higher dietary GI scores and consumption of added sugars and refined grains were associated with increased risk of new-onset depression in post-menopausal women.

They also found that greater consumption of dietary fiber, whole grains, vegetables and non-juice fruits were associated with decreased risk. This suggests that dietary interventions could serve as treatments and preventive measures for depression.

Researchers say more research is needed to examine the potential of this novel option for treatment and prevention.

The findings are detailed in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.