In a new study, researchers confirm that diet can strongly influence mental health and wellbeing.
They found that there is increasing evidence of a link between a poor diet and the worsening of mood disorders, including anxiety and depression.
But they also caution that the evidence for many diets is comparatively weak.
This is the most up to date overview of the new field of Nutritional Psychiatry.
The research was conducted by a team at the Nutrition Network of the ECNP.
In the study, the team found that there are some areas where this link between diet and mental health is firmly established, such as the ability of a high fat and low carbohydrate diet (a ketogenic diet) to help children with epilepsy, and the effect of vitamin B12 deficiency on fatigue, poor memory, and depression.
They also found that there is good evidence that a Mediterranean diet, rich in vegetables and olive oil, shows mental health benefits, such as giving some protection against depression and anxiety.
However, for many foods or supplements, the evidence is inconclusive, as for example with the use of vitamin D supplements, or with foods believed to be associated with ADHD or autism.
The team says with individual conditions, they often found very mixed evidence.
With ADHD for example, they could see an increase in the quantity of refined sugar in the diet seems to increase ADHD and hyperactivity, whereas eating more fresh fruit and vegetables seems to protect against these conditions.
But there are comparatively few studies, and many of them don’t last long enough to show long-term effects.
The study confirms that while certain foods can be linked to a mental health condition, it tells little about why the food causes this effect.
The study concludes that the need to link mental health effects with provable dietary causes needs to be the main focus of future research in nutritional psychiatry.
The lead author of the study is Professor Suzanne Dickson (University of Gothenburg, Sweden).
The study is published in the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology.
Copyright © 2019 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
