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Nutrition and mental health: A review of current knowledge about the impact of diet on mental health
Applied psychopharmacotherapy and psychotherapy do not always yield the desired outcomes in treating mental disorders, prompting a growing interest in alternative interventions. Recently, research has increasingly focused on how nutrition impacts mental health, highlighting its potential role in preventing various mental disorders and reducing their prevalence. This review by Grajek et al. (2022) seeks to determine the extent to which lifestyle and dietary factors influence mental health and assess the scientific evidence linking diet to mental well-being. A thorough review of existing literature was conducted using the PubMed database, searching for terms related to nutrition and mental health. This search identified 3,473 records, from which 356 sources directly pertinent to the study’s topic were selected, focusing on those with the highest scientific merit based on bibliometric impact factors. Given current trends such as urbanization, globalization, and shifts in lifestyles and eating habits, understanding the connections between these factors and their effects on mental health is crucial. Recognizing these correlations presents opportunities for developing new and effective dietary, pharmacological, therapeutic, and preventive interventions. The most promising therapeutic approaches include balanced nutrition, physical activity, the use of psychobiotics, and antioxidant consumption. Research also indicates that certain nutritional interventions possess psychoprotective qualities. [NPID: Nutrition, mental health, diet, psychology of food, eating behavior]
Year: 2022
