Improving mental wellbeing through a healthy diet

Jeanette C Mostert & Alejandro Arias Vasquez from the Departments of Genetics and Psychiatry at Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen, the Netherlands, lift the lid on improving mental well-being through a healthy diet

We know that healthy eating, getting enough sleep, social participation and regular exercise are good for our health. Less well known is that these lifestyle factors are also beneficial for mental health. A better understanding of how lifestyle, and diet in particular, influence brain function is of key importance to improving mental health. welfare of European citizens.

A good understanding of the causes of mental disorders is still a long way off. We know genes play a role, as these conditions often run in families, but that’s only part of the story. Whether and when someone develops a mental health condition is determined by a combination of factors, including a person’s environment and lifestyle.

Environmental factors that contribute to mental disorders have the power to affect the functioning of a person’s brain, increasing the chances of developing a disorder. This may be due, for example, to early life stressors, pollutants in the environment, low socioeconomic status, or poor diet. Many of these environmental pressures are difficult to modify, especially for an individual. However, diet and physical activity can be easily modified and adapted based on personal needs and circumstances, at any time in a person’s life. Therefore, they provide a perfect target for intervention strategies to improve mental health.

The Horizon2020-funded project “Effects of nutrition and lifestyle on impulsive, compulsive and externalizing behaviors – Eat2beNICE” (#728018), aims to unravel the biological mechanisms linking diet with mental well-being, to formulate nutrition and lifestyle recommendations for brain health.

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To generate a better understanding of how diet and mental well-being are intertwined, the Eat2beNICE consortium brings together experts from a wide range of disciplines, working in 18 different partner institutes across Europe.

The gut-brain connection

The connection between diet and mental well-being stems from the close relationship between the brain and the gut. The gastrointestinal tract is home to billions of bacteria (gut microbiota) that influence the production of neurotransmitter precursors; Chemicals that constantly carry messages from the gut to the brain. Eating healthy foods promotes the growth of “good” bacteria, which, in turn, positively affect the production of neurotransmitters. A constant diet of junk food, on the other hand, can cause inflammation that hampers this production. Disturbances in the gut can therefore lead to changes in brain function, influencing our mood and cognition. Through our research, we have identified that people with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have an altered gut microbiota profile compared to controls. ⁽¹⁾ This suggests that the gut microbiota has a role to play in ADHD.

improve mental well-being — © Ekaterina Morozova

Forget burgers, eat broccoli

So what food is good for our brain? One way to begin building an answer to this question is through epidemiological studies on large population data sets. Through these studies, we can investigate the associations between diet and mental well-being, considering many other environmental factors, such as socioeconomic status and educational level. Eat2beNICE researchers found that adults with ADHD symptoms eat more sugar and saturated fat, and fewer fruits and vegetables than people without ADHD symptoms. ^(two) Additionally, consumption of sugary carbonated beverages during pregnancy has been linked to ADHD in offspring. ⁽³⁾

These population-based studies do not explain the causal links between diet and mental health. However, from animal studies, we know that eating junk food influences genes that regulate inflammation and metabolism, which, in turn, has been linked to higher incidences of depression and anxiety. ⁽⁴⁾ Conversely, adherence to a healthy diet can reduce inflammation, depression and anxiety. ^(5.6)Healthy diets like the Mediterranean diet are rich in fresh vegetables and fruits, olive oil, whole grains, nuts and legumes, fish and shellfish, and unsaturated fats.

Diets to improve mental health

What we do not yet know is the extent to which diets or food supplements can be effectively included in treatment plans. Eat2beNICE is therefore conducting four large clinical intervention studies to investigate the effects of changing or supplementing diet on mental health. The PREDIMED-PLUS trial investigates the effect of the Mediterranean Diet plus physical training on cognition in older people. Early findings show that after one year, both BMI and impulsivity were reduced in the intervention group. ⁽⁷⁾ In the TRACE trial, we tested whether a restrictive elimination diet or a healthy diet can reduce ADHD symptoms in children. ⁽⁸⁾Third, we are testing the effects of a probiotic known to benefit the gut microbiota on mental health in highly impulsive adults with ADHD and/or borderline personality disorder.^{. (9)} And fourth, the VANTASTIC study measures the effectiveness of a broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement in children and adolescents with ADHD. ⁽¹⁰⁾

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These clinical trials will be crucial in determining the possibility of modifying diet to improve mental well-being, as well as understanding the biological mechanisms underlying these effects.

cooking for your brain

Research done by eat2beNICE It has important implications for society. Mental wellness issues affect us all, and a healthy lifestyle has many benefits for both the individual and society as a whole. However, changing your dietary behavior is not as easy as you might think, especially for people with mental health issues.

Furthermore, evidence-based information about making healthy food choices (for mental wellness) has to contend with many myths about diet and the brain. With all this in mind, Eat2beNICE has launched the dissemination platform www.newbrainnutrition.com. Here we post blogs and videos with research updates and practical tips for a healthy lifestyle, including cooking videos from celebrity chef Sebastian Lege. This helps the general public easily obtain evidence-based information on how a healthy lifestyle can improve mental health and how you can incorporate this into your own life. Through these efforts, we strive to promote social changes that will improve the mental well-being of European citizens.

More information about the Eat2beNICE project: www.newbrainnutrition.com

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