Connect
To Top

Do You Know How Critical Dietary Factors are for Mental Health?

Healthy Trends

For years, doctors have been spreading the word that unhealthy eating habits can cause immense health issues. Dieticians and nutritionists have been assisting people with stopping mindless eating, but people often don’t realize the whole exercise’s criticality.

diet-mental-health-1

Unsplash | It’s often said that healthy eating impacts a person’s overall wellbeing, but is that accurate?

This article will change the thinking of all such people!

Scientific evidence shows that dietary factors have a major influence on mental health. Further, it’s been proven that certain diets can reduce complex conditions like depression.

But how does the correlation work? Let’s try to find out.

Read – Scientifically Backed Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet

A look at the dietary factors that impact mental health

An online survey, which extended over 5 years and involved about 2,600 participants, was conducted by New York-based Binghamton and Stony Brook Universities. For it, the details of around 1,147 women and 641 men belonging to the 18 to 29 age group were taken in conjunction with 628 women and 207 men who were in the 30+ age group.

The participants were from North American, the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and Asia. The questionnaire was voluntarily filled, and through it, the scientists had a peek into the lives of the participants. The key factors of observation included their daily food, exercise schedules, geographic place, mental health issues, etc.

Through this survey, scientists found that a majority of the women were prone to mental distress, especially during spring. Additionally, heavy caffeine and fast-food intake proved to negatively impact their mental health. However, regular breakfast and exercise showed signs of enhanced mental welfare among young ladies. Contradictorily, frequent breakfast led to mental distress among adult women, while exercises improved their mindset.

diet-mental-health-2

Unsplash | Research proves that heavy caffeine and fast-food intake negatively impact mental health

Speaking of men, the youth showed improved mental health through regular exercise and proper diet, whereas fast-food and caffeine affected all the men who participated. Young men reported enhanced well-being concerning frequent exercise, moderate

Customizing the diet

Co-author of the study, Lina Begdache from Binghamton University, says that brain maturity is the key to determining how much energy and nutrients people mandatorily require. She also mentions that age plays a prime role in understanding which dietary factors can significantly impact mental health. It was concluded that every person has a different diet pattern that works best for their mental welfare. Additionally, even a somewhat healthy diet can heal men’s mental health while women need to take extensive measures.

Read – Steps to Switch to a Healthier Diet

Study Restrictions

Though the study did show evidence of mental health being influenced by appropriate diet and exercise, the scope was small and wasn’t enough to lead to conclusive results. Plus, the persisting health issues and environmental factors around people couldn’t be analyzed to show whether diet alone can cause so much effect.

diet-mental-health-3

Unsplash | Experts agree that proper diet, when coupled with routine exercise, can positively impact mental health

Conclusion

Despite the restrictions imposed on this study, what can’t be denied is the fact that dietary factors do affect mental health in one way or another. That’s probably why doctors keep advising a balanced diet to people of all ages. If you have someone in the family who is suffering from a mental health issue, try upgrading their diet plan, of course, in consultation with their doctor. You never know what might work!

More inHealthy Trends

Related Items

You must be logged in to post a comment Login