Summary: People who eat fruit regularly are less likely to report symptoms of depression and more likely to report positive well-being. Those who enjoy nutrient-poor snacks like potato chips are more likely to report anxiety symptoms.
Font: aston university
People who eat fruit frequently are more likely to report higher positive mental well-being and fewer symptoms of depression than those who don’t, according to new research from Aston University’s School of Health and Life Sciences.
The researchers’ findings suggest that how often we eat fruit is more important to our psychological health than the total amount we consume during a typical week.
The team also found that people who eat salty snacks, such as potato chips, which are low in nutrients, are more likely to report higher levels of anxiety.
Posted in British Journal of NutritionThe study surveyed 428 adults from across the UK and looked at the relationship between their consumption of fruit, vegetables, sweet and salty snacks and their psychological health.
After taking into account demographic and lifestyle factors such as age, general health and exercise, the research found that both nutrient-rich fruits and nutrient-poor salty snacks appeared to be linked to psychological health. They also found that there was no direct association between eating vegetables and psychological health.
According to the survey, the more often people ate fruit, the lower they scored for depression and the higher they scored for mental well-being, regardless of the total amount of fruit eaten.
People who frequently ate nutrient-poor salty foods (such as French fries) were more likely to experience “everyday mental lapses” (known as subjective cognitive failures) and report lower mental well-being. A greater number of lapses was associated with higher reported symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression, and lower mental well-being scores.
In contrast, there was no relationship between these everyday memory lapses and intake of fruit and vegetables or sweet snacks, suggesting a unique relationship between these nutrient-poor salty snacks and daily mental lapses and psychological health.
Examples of these frustrating little everyday mental lapses include forgetting where items had been placed, forgetting the purpose of entering certain rooms, and being unable to retrieve the names of acquaintances whose name was on the “tip of the tongue.”
Lead author, Ph.D. Student Nicola-Jayne Tuck commented that “very little is known about how diet can affect mental health and well-being, and although we did not directly examine causality here, our findings might suggest that frequent consumption of nutrient-poor, salty foods may increase every day. mental lapses, which in turn reduces psychological health.”
“Other studies have found an association between fruits and vegetables and mental health, but few have looked at fruits and vegetables separately, and even fewer have evaluated both the frequency and amount of intake.”
“Both fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, fiber and essential micronutrients that promote optimal brain function, but these nutrients can be lost during cooking. As we are more likely to eat raw fruit, this could potentially explain its greater influence on our psychological health.”
“Changing what we eat may be a really simple and easy way to improve our mental well-being. On the contrary, it is also possible that the next restriction of processed snacks in the boxes, which will enter in October, will not only improve the physical health of the country, but also the mental health.
“Overall, it’s definitely worth trying to get into the habit of reaching for the fruit bowl.”
About this research news on depression and diet
Author: press office
Font: aston university
Contact: Press Office – Aston University
Image: The image is in the public domain.
original research: Open access.
“The frequency of consumption of fruits and salty snacks predicts psychological health; selective mediation through cognitive failures” by Nicola-Jayne Tuck et al. British Journal of Nutrition
See also
Summary
The frequency of consumption of fruits and salty snacks predicts psychological health; selective mediation through cognitive failures
While there is growing interest in the link between diet and psychological health, there is a surprising lack of studies investigating the precise associations between nutrient-rich foods (such as fruits and vegetables) v. nutrient-poor foods (such as energy-dense sweet and salty snacks) and psychological health.
Similarly, the psychological processes underpinning the relationship between dietary intake and psychological health remain unclear. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the relationship between dietary intake and psychological health, with cognitive processes as the theoretical mediator.
This online cross-sectional study included 428 healthy adults (53% female; mean age = 39.7 years, SD = 13.0), and participants completed a variety of validated questionnaires measuring dietary habits and psychological health. Stepwise multiple regression revealed that more frequent fruit consumption was associated with reduced symptoms of depression (β = –0 109, P = 0 025) and greater positive psychological well-being (β = 0 187, P < 0 001). In contrast, more frequent salty snacks were associated with increased anxiety.β = 0 127, P = 0 005).
Furthermore, mediation analyzes revealed that more frequent consumption of salty snacks was associated with increased symptoms of depression, stress, anxiety, and reduced psychological well-being, via increased cognitive failure (P.S. < 0 001).
These results provide new insights into the independent associations between certain types of food and psychological health, and the psychological mechanisms that may mediate these.
More work is now required to establish causality and determine whether these may represent modifiable dietary goals that may directly (and indirectly) influence our psychological health.
