Last summer, Malaysian researchers published a study in Obesity Research & Clinical Practice showing a connection between what we eat and mental health.
The researchers had over 1500 high school students fill out questionnaires regarding socio-demographic, eating behaviour questionnaire, and depression, anxiety and stress, Then they analyzed the responses to find patterns.
They discovered that those who were more likely to have symptoms of depression or stress had one or more than one of the following 4 things in common:
- They are underweight
- They are obese
- They are used to eating out of home
- They eat dinner less than 4 times per week
Also, they found that those who at breakfast 4–7 times per week were less likely to have symptoms of stress.
This further underscores the discovery from a growing list of clinical studies showing a connection between mental health and nutrition.