Diet, Mood, and Well-Being

The CNP Diet, Mood, and Well-Being Research Category consolidates research exploring the interdependent relationship between dietary intake and moods, feelings, and affect in children. To view each original study on the open internet, click “Original.” To view the CNP summary of the study, click “CNP Summary.” While a small portion of the studies in this research category is available below for free, the full set of studies (and their summaries) are available to CNP members through the CNP Library Membership (launching January 15, 2022).

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CNP Research Summary can be found in the CNP Library Membership

2017

Let them eat fruit! The effect of fruit and vegetable consumption on psychological well-being in young adults: A randomized controlled trial

This 2017 study recruited 171 low fruit and vegetable (FV)-consuming young adults (aged 18-25), and randomly assigned them into one of three conditions: an ecological momentary intervention (EMI) involving text message reminders to increase FV intake as well as vouchers to buy FV; fruit and vegetable intervention (FVI) providing the subjects with two additional servings of FV on top of their regular diet; and the control condition which was the participants’ normal day-to-day diet. The purpose was to research the effects of these 14-day interventions promoting greater FV consumption. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured pre- and post-intervention while positive mood, vitality, flourishing and flourishing behaviors (curiosity, creativity, and motivation) were documented on a nightly basis using a smartphone survey. Blood samples were taken before and after the interventions took place to examine vitamin C and carotenoid levels. In addition, psychological expectancies about the benefits of FV were taken to test as mediators of psychological change. The results showed improvements in psychological well-being (increases in flourishing, vitality and motivation) in only the group that received 2 supplementary portions of fruits and vegetables (the FVI intervention group), across the 14 days relative to the other condition groups. Intervention benefits were not mediated by vitamin C, carotenoids, or psychological expectancies but this study demonstrated young adults react more positively to provision of high-quality, fresh fruits and vegetables, rather than reminders and vouchers to encourage increased FV intake. Significant short-term improvements in their psychological well-being were seen, which provides early proof-of-concept that giving young adults fruits and vegetables to eat can have psychological benefits even over a short period of time. [NPID: mood, well-being, fruit, vegetables, FV intake, text message, depression, anxiety, curiosity, creativity, motivation, vitality, flourishing, smartphones, technology, social media, vitamin C, carotenoids, carotenoid levels]

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CNP Research Summary can be found in the CNP Library Membership

2016

Eating breakfast, fruit and vegetable intake and their relation with happiness in college students

(2016) In this study, 541 Iranian students took part in online questionnaires to analyze their measure of contentment associated with their fruit and vegetables intake, and whether they skipped breakfast or not. The results showed several statistically significant links, namely, greater levels of happiness were achieved in those who ate breakfast, consumed more fruit and vegetables, and who ate an increased number of meals a day. [NPID: mood, well-being, contentment, fruit, vegetables, FV intake, breakfast, happiness]

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2015

On carrots and curiosity: eating fruit and vegetables is associated with greater flourishing in daily life

(2015) This was a correlational study that aimed to investigate whether there is a relationship between fruit and vegetable intake and our “eudaemonic” state (which is a mental state that relates to happiness and includes feelings of curiosity, creativity, happiness, engagement, and purpose). The study had 405 young adults complete an internet diary for 13 days which recorded their mood (positive or negative), and the amount of fruit, vegetables and less nutrient-dense foods they consumed (i.e., chips and sweets). A significant relationship between eating fruits and vegetables and higher eudaemonic well-being was found. This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge that helps us understand the relationship between diet and mental health which is not only created by lack of disease, but also by presence of well-being. [NPID: mood, well-being, fruit, vegetables, FV intake, eudaemonic, happiness, curiosity, creativity, engagement, purpose]

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CNP Research Summary can be found in the CNP Library Membership

2019

Diet quality and well-being in children and adolescents: the UP&DOWN longitudinal study

(2019) Adherence to the “high quality” Mediterranean diet (MD) and mental well-being were examined in a group of Spanish children and adolescents. They were cross-sectionally analysed at the start of the study and after a 2-year interval (533 children and 987 adolescents initially, 527 children and 798 adolescents at follow-up). The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between MD adherence (using KIDMEX Index) and psychological health (with the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule and the KIDSCREEN-10 questionnaire) by adopting a multi-level, mixed-effects linear regression model. Cross-sectional analysis highlighted that increased MD adherence behaves as a protective factor for positive mental well-being. [NPID: mood, well-being, Mediterranean diet, Med diet, Spanish, Spain, adolescents, psychological health, positive affect, affect, negative affect, children, eudaemonic, fruit, vegetables, FV intake, curiosity, creativity, happiness, engagement, purpose, chips, sweets]

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2019

Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet is related to more subjective happiness in adolescents: the role of health-related quality of life

(2019) Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and subjective happiness of 527 Spanish adolescents were evaluated along with their adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD). The use of Pearson’s correlations and hierarchical linear regression analysis supported a positive association of MD adherence with higher HRQOL and subjective happiness scores. Several subscales of HRQOL such as emotional well-being, mood and emotions, financial resources and social acceptance were seen to have a mediation effect in the association between MD adherence and subjective happiness after employing the macro PROCESS for SPSS. Ferrer-Cascales et al encourages further research on other factors that may mediate the association found in this study. [NPID: mood, well-being, quality of life, Spain, Med diet, Mediterranean Diet, emotions, social acceptance, financial resources]

Original
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CNP Research Summary can be found in the CNP Library Membership

2019

Negative mood is associated with diet and dietary antioxidants in university students during the menstrual cycle: a cross-sectional study from guangzhou, china

(2019) This study examined whether there was a correlation between diet and mood during menstrual cycles in Chinese University students. Through random sampling, 88 academics from Guangzhou were selected to take part in 2 self-administered questionnaires: one documented their eating habits; another evaluated level of negative mood. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to discover statistically significant lower mood scores during the menstrual phase when consumption of tea, coffee, and carbonated beverage was higher. During the premenstrual phase, worsening of mood was associated with banana and red Chinese dates intake (statistically significant). This study suggests specific foods and diets may influence mood in post-pubescent women. [NPID: mood, well-being, diet, mood, females, women, China, college students, university students, students, menstrual cycles, period, menstruation, tea, coffee, soda, carbonation]

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2013

Many apples a day keep the blues away--daily experiences of negative and positive affect and food consumption in young adults

(2013) This study looked at whether positive affect (mood) plays a role in people consuming healthier food. The authors wanted to understand whether positive moods drive us towards selecting healthier foods. Data was collected from the daily diaries of 281 healthy young adults across 21 days. Their food intake and positive and negative mood was recorded. Analysis of daily associations between diet and mood revealed a significant increase in fruit and vegetable consumption in adults who experienced positive moods. The results also demonstrated that fruit and vegetable intake could influence psychological mood experienced the following day, and to an even greater extent when 7-8 portions of F+V were consumed. [NPID: mood, well-being, positive affect, fruit, vegetables, FV intake]

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CNP Research Summary can be found in the CNP Library Membership

2017

Food and mood: diet quality is inversely associated with depressive symptoms in female university students

(2017) This was a correlational study examined the association between dietary intake quality and depressive symptoms in female university students. This population (female young adults) is at a greater risk for developing both unhealthy lifestyle habits and depressive symptoms, and therefore, it is important to identify whether consuming healthy food is in any way associated with the mental health of this population. The dietary intake of 141 female university students was collected in the fom of 3-day food journals. The students were assessed for depressive symptoms by questionnaire. Results showed that increased depression scores positively associated with the consumption of a low-nutrient diet in this sample population. Editor’s note: see Francis et al’s study (CNP’s featured Parent Library study) which is the first study to demonstrate the ability of poor diet to cause depressive symptoms in young adults. [NPID: mood, well-being, depression, females, women, university students, college students, students, food journal]

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2014

Positive effects of a healthy snack (fruit) versus an unhealthy snack (chocolate/crisps) on subjective reports of mental and physical health: a preliminary intervention study

The aim of this intervention study conducted by Smith & Rogers (2014) was to examine the interaction between well-being and types of snacks (chocolate/crisps vs fruit) consumed. The 100 student volunteers (average age 19, 27 males; 73 females) completed online questionnaires at baseline measuring anxiety and depression, fatigue, somatic symptoms, cognitive difficulties and distress before being randomly assigned to one of two snacking conditions (chocolate/crisps or fruit). The volunteers were given 1 snack mid-afternoon each day for 10 days before taking the online questionnaires again. At baseline, chocolate consumption was linked with greater emotional eating and depression, while post-intervention analyses indicated an association between eating fruit with lower anxiety, depression, and emotional distress, compared to chocolate and crisps consumption. Those volunteers who were given chocolate/crisps also scored higher in cognitive difficulties, fatigue and somatic symptoms, further emphasizing the benefits of consuming fruits, rather than unhealthy snacks, on health outcomes. These results support the findings from cross-sectional studies and mark the importance of choosing snack type in achieving mental well-being. [NPID: mood, well-being, depression, females, women, university students, college students, students, food journal]

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2020

Mediterranean Diet and the emotional well-being of students of the Campus of Melilla (University of Granada)

This study analyzed the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) and emotional well-being among University of Granada students in Spain, through descriptive, exploratory, transversal and correlational methods. Diet adherence was measured with the PREvencion con DIetaMEDiterranea (PREDIMED) questionnaire while emotional well-being (both positive and negative affection) was gauged with the Spanish version of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the state of perceived health was evaluated with the Short Form-36 (SF36), and the degree of physical activity was determined by administering the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF). There was a significant association found between strict adherence to the MD and positive emotional state (β = 0.018, p = 0.009). Results also indicated that perceived state of health (β = 0.192, p < 0.001), mental role (β = 0.346, p < 0.001), and physical activity (β = 0.155, p = 0.007) were predictive factors of a positive emotional state. Although adherence to MD and negative emotional state was not found to be significantly associated with one another, various components of the MD were independently connected to psychological well-being, suggesting that strict implementation of a nutritious diet such as the MD can enhance one’s emotional health. [NPID: mood, well-being, depression, Mediterranean Diet, Spain, Spanish, diet adherence, Med Diet, physical activity, perception, affect]

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2013

Diet quality and feelings of worry, sadness or unhappiness in Canadian children

In this 2013 study, 6,528 students (grade 5) in Canada were examined to explore the relationship between their diet quality and feelings of worry, sadness or unhappiness. The students’ responses to the Harvard Food Frequency Questionnaire were used to calculate a composite score of diet quality and its components (variety, adequacy, moderation and balance), while the outcomes of this experiment were their responses to the question on “feelings of worry, sadness or unhappiness” from the EuroQoL 5 Dimension questions for Youth (EQ-5D-Y), which is a validated Health Related Quality of Life questionnaire. Logistic regression analyses showed an inverse association between diet quality with the children’s feelings of worry, sadness or happiness (odds ratio = 0.9). Moreover, greater dietary variety and adequacy also correlated with lower odds of feeling worried, sad or unhappy. Diet had a more marked impact on these feelings in the girls compared to the boys, after results were stratified by gender. While supporting the link between diet and mental health described in other studies, these findings suggest that the quality of diet can have an impact on children’s feelings of worry, unhappiness and sadness. Public health strategies aiming to manage/prevent mental health in children and youth may want to consider diet quality. [NPID: mood, well-being, depression, Canada, worry, sadness, unhappiness, variety, adequacy, moderation, balance, children, gender differences, public health, public health strategies]

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CNP Research Summary can be found in the CNP Library Membership

2017

Effects of acute blueberry flavonoids on mood in children and young adults

Khalid et al. (2017) explain that flavonoid consumption may reduce the risk of developing depression due to its positive impacts on executive function (EF) already reported. Since weak EF is linked to cognitive processes that maintain depression and low mood, greater EF may signify less depressionogenic cognitive processes and better mood. In the first counterbalanced crossover study, 21 young adults (18-21 years old) consumed a flavonoid-enriched drink as well as a matched placebo, while the second study involved random allocation of 50 children (7-10 years old) to drink either a flavonoid-rich blueberry drink or a matched placebo. Both were double-blind studies and utilized the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule to measure the participants’ mood before and 2 hours after drink consumption. The blueberry intervention was found to increase positive affect in both studies but it had no impact on negative affect. This promising effect of flavonoids on positive affect, observed in 2 different samples, could be of potential value in improving public health. Additional research may be warranted to describe the mechanism(s) in which flavonoid interventions enhance positive mood. [NPID: mood, well-being, depression, executive function, prefrontal cortex, low mood, cognition, cognitive processes, flavonoids, children, affect]

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2020

Fruit and vegetables intake in adolescents and mental health: a systematic review

This 2020 literature review was conducted on the correlation between fruit and vegetable intake with mental health outcomes among adolescents. Głąbska et al. included papers found on PubMed and Web of Science databases that assessed the relationship between fruits and/or vegetables (including related products such as juices) and mental health. A range of positive, neutral, and negative variables related to psychological health were identified, such as happiness, self-esteem, health-related quality of life, mental health status, loneliness, general difficulties, feeling worried, anxiety, stress and distress, depressive symptoms, depression, and suicidal behaviors. Based on 17 relevant studies, it was suggested that higher fruit and vegetable consumption was associated with better mental health. Additionally, fresh fruits as well as green and yellow vegetables were especially highlighted as enhancers of general mental health. [NPID: fruit, vegetables, adolescents, psychological, mental health, depression, review]

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2020

Role of fruit and vegetables for the mental health of children: a systematic review

18. Guzek, D., Głąbska, D., Groele, B., & Gutkowska, K. (2020). Role of fruit and vegetables for the mental health of children: a systematic review. National Institute of Hygiene, 71(1), 5–13. This systematic review published in 2020 was focused on the association between fruit and vegetable consumption with mental health among preschoolers and school-aged children. Relevant human studies were found through a systematic search on PubMed and Web of Science databases. A total of 12 studies were included in this review, consisting of various mental health aspects - not only depressive symptoms but general well-being, emotions, stress, behavioral difficulties and problems, and depressive symptoms combined with anxiety. In most of these studies, the positive relationship between fruit and vegetable intake and mental health was suggested, although some of these studies favored the adoption of a more general dietary pattern and the implementation of healthy diet and lifestyle habits rather than just increasing fruit and vegetable consumption to improve mental health outcomes. Guzek et al. also revealed the need for more data on other populations to ensure reliable conclusions. [NPID: fruits, vegetables, mental health, children, review, emotion, stress]

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2021

Does an inflammatory diet affect mental well-being in late childhood and mid-life? A cross-sectional study

The objective of this 2021 study was to assess if inflammatory diets are related to mental well-being among adolescents (11-12 years) and midlife adults. The sample included adolescents and parents from all over Australia (88% of the parents were mothers). The answers to food frequency questionnaires were used to calculate the alternate inflammatory diet scores of each participant. The study used the data from prior literature as well as predictions of inflammatory markers. Mental well-being was measured through several surveys based on psychosocial health, quality of life and life satisfaction. In both children and adults, an increase in literature-derived inflammatory diet score by one standard deviation point was associated with a 44-57% higher risk of having the worst mental health state (in other words below the 16th percentile for mental health). Similar results were seen for inflammatory-derived scores. In the adult sample population, body mass index (BMI) mediated this inflammatory score-mental health relationship. Essentially, there was a cross-sectional connection between inflammatory diet patterns and mental well-being among adolescents, while similar associations were also found for “middle aged” adults. Reduction of inflammatory dietary components during childhood could improve mental well-being on a population level across the life course. [NPID: inflammation, inflammatory diet, midlife, middle age, adolescents, adults, mental health, Australia, Australians, BMI]

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2021

Cross-sectional associations of schoolchildren’s fruit and vegetable consumption, and meal choices, with their mental well-being: a cross-sectional study

This 2021 study investigated the relationship between dietary choices and mental well-being among schoolchildren in Norfolk, England. The authors feel that the contribution of nutrition to poor mental health is largely unexplored. This present study managed to gather data of 7570 secondary school and 1253 primary school children through a Children and Young People Health and Well-being Survey. Mental well-being was then assessed using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale for secondary school pupils, and the Stirling Children’s Well-being Scale for the primary school pupils. Among secondary school students, there was a strong connection between higher combined fruit and vegetable consumption with greater mental well-being. In fact, those who ate 5+ fruits and veg scored 3.73 higher than those who reported no fruit and veg intake. In addition, secondary school children who skipped breakfast on average scored lower in well-being, compared with those who ate a conventional type of breakfast. Also, secondary school students who consumed energy drinks only scored lower in the mental health assessments, relative to conventional breakfast eaters. Similarly, those who skipped lunch showed lower well-being scores than those who consumed a packed lunch. Among primary school kids, the associations between breakfast/lunch and mental well-being were like those seen among the secondary school students, but there was no strong evidence of a link with fruit and vegetable intake. These findings highlight the importance of public health strategies promoting good nutrition to hopefully enhance the mental well-being of children. [NPID: children, nutrition, food choices, mental health, mental well-being, depression, anxiety, fruit and veg, fruits and vegetables, breakfast, skipping breakfast, energy drinks]

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