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Evaluating Mediterranean diet adherence in university student populations: Does this dietary pattern affect students’ academic performance and mental health?
Following certain dietary patterns, like the Mediterranean Diet (MD), is postulated to enhance the quality of life, academic outcomes, and the mental and physical health of university students. Antonopoulou et al. (2020) aimed through their study to investigate the evidence on MD fidelity in university students. Through searching databases like Pubmed, the authors observed that published evidence points to a declining trend in MD adoption amongst university students, giving way to unhealthy dietary habits, which was especially seen in students living away from their family homes, regardless of whether they were from a Mediterranean country or not. Furthermore, several studies pointed to the relationship between lower MD fidelity and poor health status amongst students and higher levels of perceived stress with decreased fruit and vegetable intake, while a reduction in the odds of depression was linked to higher MD fidelity. Surprisingly, interventions aimed to increase dietary education and awareness, such as courses and lectures, failed to improve MD adherence in students, despite the fact that most students lacked sufficient knowledge on dietary patterns, including those from nutritional and medical university departments. The authors conclude with underlining the need for further research to utilize diets in enhancing the mental and physical health and the quality of life of university students. [NPID: Mediterranean diet, academic performance, mental health, university students]
Year: 2020
