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Frequency of fruit consumption and savoury snacking predict psychological health; selective mediation via cognitive failures
Despite increasing evidence pointing to the relationship between diet and psychological well-being, the evidence examining how foods rich in nutrients (like fruits and vegetables) and foods deficient in nutrients (like sweet and savory energy-dense snacks) affect psychological well-being remains insufficient. In the same vein, the mechanisms modulating the links between psychological health and dietary intake are not well understood. This spurred Tuck and colleagues (2022) to conduct their cross-sectional study on understanding the links between psychological health and dietary intake through examining cognition in a population of 428 adults (age = 39.7 ± 13.0, 53% female), where study participants completed several validated questionnaires that evaluated their psychological health and dietary habits. Analysis of the results demonstrated a reduction in depressive symptoms and improved psychological well-being in participants who ate fruits regularly, while the regular intake of savory snacks was associated with higher levels of anxiety, depressive symptoms, stress, cognitive failures, and negative psychological well-being. The authors highlight how their results showcase the impact of individual food items on psychological health, and the mechanisms behind these relationships. Furthermore, the authors comment on the necessity of conducting additional studies to further understand the existing cause-and-effect relationships and to explore the possibility of using dietary interventions to modulate psychological health, whether directly or indirectly. [NPID: Fruits, vegetables, snacking, cognition, psychological health, mental health, well-being]
Year: 2022
