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The association of environmentally sustainable healthy dietary patterns and risk of neurological and psychiatric disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 28 cohorts
This study investigates the association between adherence to healthy diets with low environmental impact (HDLE)—specifically the Mediterranean, EAT-Lancet, and Healthy Provegetarian diets—and various neurological and psychiatric outcomes, including depression, anxiety, cognitive impairment, and dementia, utilizing data from prospective cohort studies involving adults.
A systematic search of four databases was conducted through March 2025, resulting in the inclusion of 39 articles encompassing 472,125 adults (mean age 63 years, 52% female) from 28 unique cohorts, with an average follow-up period of 10 years. Pooled risk ratios (pRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and prediction intervals (PIs) were computed to compare mental health outcomes between individuals exhibiting the highest versus the lowest adherence to HDLE.
The findings revealed that high adherence to HDLE correlated with a reduced risk of depression, cognitive impairment, and dementia. Due to limited studies, a meta-analysis for incident anxiety was not feasible (k = 2). The certainty of evidence was assessed as low for depression and very low for cognitive impairment and dementia. In conclusion, higher adherence to HDLE was associated with a 20% lower risk of depression, a 34% lower risk of cognitive impairment, and a 13% lower risk of dementia. [NPID: Mediterranean diet, EAT-Lancet diet, Healthy Provegetarian diet, depression, cognitive impairment, dementia]
Year: 2026
