Nutritional psychiatry

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Nutritional psychiatry is an emerging field that investigates the complex relationship between an individual's diet, nutrient intake, and mental health. The discipline integrates clinical principles of psychiatry to explore how nutritional strategies can be utilized for both the prevention and treatment of various mental health disorders. [1]

In addition, nutrition psychiatry acknowledges the importance of quality diet in relation to improved mood regulation. Research suggests that a quality diet is crucial for developing and maintaining a healthy brain. A healthy diet is generally characterized by a high intake of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, fish, and limited processed foods. Conversely, diets in high processed foods, fats and sugars are associated with anxiety and depression. [2]

Furthermore, the field recognizes that micronutrient deficiencies, especially those involving essential B vitamins (B12 and folate), can impair cognition and contribute to psychiatric symptoms, including fatigue and depression. This evidence has led to the successful investigation of dietary improvement programs in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). These trials demonstrate that structured nutritional interventions can effectively serve as a valuable [3] treatment to help mitigate symptoms in individuals with moderate to severe depression. [3]

There is a big relationship between diet quality and the well-being of someones mental health, people who are used to eating more fruits and vegetables are prone to better mental health outcomes and have an increase in better mental health. [4] Although there can be good outcomes there are also bad ones, like people that have a poor diet pattern, such as eating too much processed foods because they can cause depression and anxiety. It is very important to have a better diet for your mental well-being. [4]

It is also known that modern lifestyle changes have caused a diet shift and this affects the increase in mental health disorders. [5] Logan and Jacka tell us about "evolutionary mismatch", stating that the diet we see nowadays is different from the usual traditional diet that humans are supposed to have this concept explains the downhill of mental illness. [5] Nutritional psychiatry can be used to explore the fields of biological and environmental factors that can influence the mental health that we face today. [5]

References

  1. ↑ Hart, Jane (2024-04-01). "Nutritional Psychiatry: Emerging Field Reveals that Dietary Habits Contribute to Risk of Mood Disorders". Integrative and Complementary Therapies. 30 (2): 60–62. doi:10.1089/ict.2024.29117.jha. ISSN   2768-3192.
  2. ↑ Hart, Jane (2024-04-01). "Nutritional Psychiatry: Emerging Field Reveals that Dietary Habits Contribute to Risk of Mood Disorders". Integrative and Complementary Therapies. 30 (2): 60–62. doi:10.1089/ict.2024.29117.jha. ISSN   2768-3192.
  3. ↑ Hart, Jane (2024-04-01). "Nutritional Psychiatry: Emerging Field Reveals that Dietary Habits Contribute to Risk of Mood Disorders". Integrative and Complementary Therapies. 30 (2): 60–62. doi:10.1089/ict.2024.29117.jha. ISSN   2768-3192.
  4. 1 2 Firth, Joseph; Gangwisch, James E; Borsini, Alessandra; Wootton, Robyn E; Mayer, Emeran A (29 June 2020). "Food and mood: how do diet and nutrition affect mental wellbeing?". BMJ: m2382. doi:10.1136/bmj.m2382. hdl: 1983/00cd76a1-3d9d-4c58-a0c6-f0c2e41cdf93 . PMC   7322666 .{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link)
  5. 1 2 3 Logan, Alan C; Jacka, Felice N (December 2014). "Nutritional psychiatry research: an emerging discipline and its intersection with global urbanization, environmental challenges and the evolutionary mismatch". Journal of Physiological Anthropology. 33 (1). doi: 10.1186/1880-6805-33-22 . hdl: 10536/DRO/DU:30067241 . PMC   4131231 . PMID   25060574.
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