Dietary changes can improve mental health

Until recently there has been limited evidence on the impact of diet in improving mental health. Observational studies had previously reported the influence of diet on behaviour and mental health. However, it was unclear whether diet was influencing behaviour or the other way around. Fortunately recent research has found positive associations between mental health and diet, and there is now growing research interest in how dietary changes can affect mood disorders, particularly depression.

Currently, around 1 million Australian adults have depression, and over 2 million have anxiety in any one-year (1). Given the prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders, and their impact on people’s lives, the promise of dietary changes in helping to improve the outlook of individual’s with depression is gaining much attention.

A large, recently published Australian study found that a healthy diet can significantly improve symptoms of depression (2). The researchers gathered and analysed data from clinical trials involving over 46,000 participants who changed their diet to manage symptoms of anxiety and depression. The researchers reported that the healthy dietary interventions had a meaningful effect in lowering depressive symptoms, but not symptoms of anxiety. Interestingly, the study found that no one particular healthy diet worked better than another, rather that replacing junk food with whole foods alleviated low mood. The study adds further support that a healthy diet can improve mental health and that replacing high sugar and high fat foods with nutrient-dense, high-fibre foods like vegetables can result in significant improvements in symptoms of depression.

The research findings also suggest that restrictive or fad diets are unnecessary for improving mental health. Making basic dietary changes like reducing junk food and increasing intake of fresh vegetables and fruit can help improve mood. Including more plant-based whole foods in the diet is also consistent with current dietary guidelines and has added positive effects all around; by supporting and feeding beneficial gut bacteria, providing essential nutrients, and along with alleviating a low mood it can also lead to weight loss.

For more information about how to include more plant-based foods into your daily routine or how to improve your gut health and wellbeing please feel free to contact me at julie@digest.health or book an appointment under the Bookings tab. For more information about mental health contact Beyond Blue anytime. Have a healthy day!

References:

(1) Beyond Blue. https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

Accessed May 21, 2019.

(2) Firth J., Marx W., Dash S., Carney R., Teasdale SB., Solmi M et al. The Effects of Dietary Improvement on Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Psychosomatic Medicine April 2019: 81 (3), pp.265-280. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000673.