People with lower diet quality more likely to have depression, anxiety

Researchers in the Netherlands recently presented at a Nutrition Society Conference the results of a study showing a connection between diet quality and mental health.

Using data from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety, researchers analyzed depression and anxiety severity among study participants between the ages of 18 and 65. They also investigated the diet quality of these participants. Finally, they compared the mental health findings and the diet findings to find any relationships between the two.

What they discovered was that those who had depression and anxiety were more likely to have significantly lower diet quality. In fact, the more severe their mental health symptoms were, the poorer their diet quality was.

This study joins a growing body of research showing a strong connection between nutrition and mental health. Here at Truehope, we’ve been promoting nutrition as mental health treatment for over 20 years.