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Influence of diet on mood and social cognition: a pilot study
Current evidence has linked nutrition and social cognition, with several dietary formats and a few probiotics reported as influencers. Nonetheless, there have been no studies that investigate the influence of particular nutrients on social cognition. Ugartemendia et al. (2020) aimed to investigate the potential links between dietary macronutrients and the social and affective information handling in a population of university students aged 21.3 ± 2.9 years, with a BMI of 22.8 ± 3.9. Participant social cognition and dietary patterns were collected and evaluated using questionnaires and dietary records. The participants completed the WHO-5 Well Being Index, Beck’s Anxiety Inventory, Beck’s Depression Inventory, Ruminative Response Scale (RSS), Leiden Index of Depression Sensitivity (LEIDS-r), Empathy Quotient (EQ), and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). When the authors investigated social cognition and macronutrients, the students, whose diet was found to include a high consumption of proteins and saturated fatty acids, were observed to have a positive association between lipids, particularly cholesterol, and the Perspective-Taking Scale (a part of IRI). Carbohydrates were observed to impact the RSS, alluding that eating complex carbohydrates may increase the chances of developing depression. Furthermore, the brooding factor (part of RRS) was impacted negatively by dietary consumption of carbohydrates and proteins, in particular, fiber and aspartate. The authors conclude that diet may play a role in affecting several elements of social cognition and mood. Specifically, a diet low in cholesterol and rich in fiber, complex carbohydrates, and aspartate, affects the handling of social and affective information and psychic well-being more favorably. [NPID: Nutrition, social cognition, university students, RSS, IRI, fiber]
Year: 2020
