Half a cup of milk can reduce the likelihood of depression and anxiety, the study says.

The study has found that those who regularly consume low - fat milk have nearly a third less likely to be diagnosed with anxiety and 16 percent less likely to be depressive than those who do not drink milk at all.

The protective effects of half melted milk are also greater than those of whole milk or skim milk.

But this is bad news for the vegetarians - those who consume dairy alternatives, such as soybeans or wheat milk, are more likely to develop anxiety or depression, according to the study.

Researchers, from the University of South Medical in China, said the results suggest there is something in the fat balance in semi-litered milk that has a useful effect on the brain and increases the levels of good “ ” as serotonin and dopamine.

“Profilin of semi-mortem fatty acids can offer greater brain protection compared to full milk and dry milk, thus reducing the possibility of developing depression and anxiety”, writes in the study published in Frontiers in Nutrition magazine Transmission ReportExpress.

They added that the findings presented “provide new access to dietary intervention. ”

Researchers reviewed data for 357,568 people aged 36 to 73 who were monitored for more than 13 years. During that period 13,065 were diagnosed with depression and 13,339 with anxiety.

Those who normally drank half - melted milk, the best - selling milk in the United Kingdom, were 16 percent less likely to be diagnosed with depression than those who do not drink milk. And the consumption of half melted milk was linked to a 29 percent lower risk of anxiety.

By comparison, whole milk was linked to a lower risk of anxiety but not depression.

Those who said that they drink nonglobal milk were more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety or depression than those who consumed dairy milk and those who did not consume it at all.

“to create these more powerful links, further research is needed to verify these results and explore the impact of the amount of milk consumed in mental health”, the study author said.