Blueberries and supplements could be the key to eliminating the “baby blues” says a group of Canadian scientists.

Studying the effects of different nutrients given to women feeling down after giving birth, scientists from Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health found “dramatic” benefits in women who consumed blueberry juice and extract, along with supplements.

The supplements prescribed to the women were tryptophan and tyrosine. Along with the blueberry, the nutrient tri-factor was designed to compensate for a surge in the brain protein MO-A, which occurs early after birth.

The scientists said women who were not taking the nutrients had a significant increase in depression scores. Women consuming the nutrients did not experience any depressed mood.

“We believe this is the first study to show such a strong, beneficial effect of an intervention in reducing the baby blues at a time when postpartum sadness peaks,” said lead researcher Dr Jeffrey Meyer.

“Postpartum blues are common and usually resolves 10 days after giving birth, but when they are intense, the risk of postpartum depression increases four-fold,” he said.

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