A new psychological discovery provides evidence that the food we eat directly affects our mental health. British Journal of Nutrition, Eating more fruit was found to reduce symptoms of depression and improve psychological well-being, and eating more tasty snacks increased anxiety.
In recent years, scientists have begun to consider whether changing diets offers a route to improving psychological health. It follows evidence that eating nutrient-poor foods (candy, savory snacks, etc.) leads to fewer mental health problems and exacerbates stress and anxiety. , and depression.
It’s unclear why diet affects mental health, but study author Nicola Jane Tuck and her team say it may have to do with how nutrients affect cognitive processes. . Previous research has suggested that a nutrient-poor diet adversely affects cognitive function, while a nutrient-rich diet improves cognitive function. Associated with poor health.
Tuck and her colleagues conducted a study investigating whether diet could affect mental health through its effects on cognition, investigating the effects of both frequency and amount of fruit and vegetable consumption. did.
A nationally representative sample of 428 UK residents completed an online survey assessing diet, psychological health and cognitive function. Participants were asked how often they ate fruits, vegetables, sweet snacks (e.g. cakes, cookies), and savory snacks (e.g. potato chips) per day over the past month, and how often they consumed fruit per month. and how many times they ate vegetables. Day. They also completed assessments of depression, anxiety, stress, and psychological well-being. To control for possible covariates, participants completed specific health-related measures, including smoking, alcohol, and exercise habits.
Subjects also completed a self-reported cognitive impairment questionnaire assessing “mental deficits related to attention, memory, perception, and behavior in daily tasks” over the past 6 months (e.g., forgetting appointments). , drop things). Participants then completed a stop-signal task as a behavioral measure of cognitive control.
Results revealed that after adjusting for covariates, fruit intake frequency (but not fruit intake) positively predicted psychological well-being and negatively predicted depression. Although additional experimental data are needed, the study authors speculate that “the frequency of fruit consumption may be more important than the total amount consumed.”
Consuming savory snacks (as opposed to sugary snacks) positively predicted anxiety. In particular, this study is cross-sectional and the direction of this relationship is unclear. People with high levels of stress and anxiety may eat more foods with low nutritional value as a coping strategy.
Results further revealed that the association between palatable snacking and mental health was mediated by cognitive impairment.In other words, participants who ate palatable snacks reported more cognitive impairment. , resulting in higher symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, and lower health status. Tasty snack foods high in sodium can impair memory and, in turn, mental health.
Interestingly, after adjusting for covariates, the frequency of vegetable consumption had no effect on mental health. Researchers say this may be because the vegetables people eat are often canned or cooked, which may limit their absorption of nutrients.Fruits, on the other hand, tend to be consumed raw. there is.
Overall, the findings suggest that adjusting intake of nutrient-poor (processed) versus nutrient-dense (unprocessed) foods may help protect mental health. increase. “Further research is now needed to establish causality,” she says Tuck and her colleagues.
In this study, “Frequency of Fruit Consumption and Frequency of Savory Snacks Predict Psychological Health: Selective Mediation by Cognitive Impairment,” was authored by Nicola-Jayne Tuck, Claire V. Farrow, and Jason Michael Thomas. I was.
