Researchers in the Netherlands recently published a study in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, showing a connection between diet quality and mental health.
The researchers analyzed the mental health of over 1,600 participants, specifically those with depression and anxiety. They also investigated diet quality, focusing on adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the Alternative Healthy Eating Index.
What they found was that participants with a mental health disorder had worse diet quality. In fact, those with depression and anxiety at the same time scored the worst for diet quality. In addition, the more severe and chronic the mental health symptoms of participants, the worse their diet quality was.
This is one more study in a growing body of research showing a connection between what we eat and our mental health. Here at Truehope, we’ve been promoting nutrition as mental health treatment for over 25 years.