Diet, Disease, and Mental Health

The aim of this 2017 study was to examine the relationship between dietary patterns and mental health among elderly patients with a history of myocardial infarction (heart attack). The diets of 2171 adults (aged between 60 and 80 years) were evaluated with a food frequency questionnaire and 2 different assessment scores (the Dutch Healthy Nutrient and Food Score [DHNaFS] and the Dutch Undesirable Nutrient and Food Score [DUNaFS]). One of the dietary assessment scores (DHNaFS) was associated with fewer depressive symptoms and higher dispositional optimism. In fact, the consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, and low fat-dairy were particularly linked with fewer depressive signs and greater optimism. A similar interaction was found between the average DHNaFS score over the preceding 41 months with depression and optimism. Rius-Ottenheim et al. concluded that a healthy dietary pattern, especially a diet high in vegetables, fruit, whole grains, fish and low-fat dairy, was related to fewer depressive symptoms and higher optimism. The findings may be explained by more optimistic participants making healthier food choices, signifying the possible need for further studies to confirm the direction of causality of this relationship. [NPID: diet, disease, mental health, heart attack, myocardial infarction, depression, optimism]

This 2015 review provides an insight into the more recent nutritional developments in West Africa. While undernutrition remains a big problem, dietary patterns have changed as urbanisation increased and technology improved. There is evidence that intake of fruits and vegetables is low universally in West Africa, and obesity is becoming more prevalent. Most of the countries in Western Africa are at the early stages of nutrition transition but countries such as Cape Verde, Ghana and Senegal are at the latter stages. In the big cities, kids eat as much as 7 times more candies, ice cream and sweetened beverages as fruits and vegetables. In addition to the rise in adult obesity rates (115% in 15 years since 2004), there has been an increase in incidence of hypertension (high blood pressure) in countries such as Burkina Faso and Cape Verde. It has been reported to be more common in the cities. Furthermore, the prevalence of diabetes ranges from 2.5 - 7.9% but it is as high as 17.9% in Dakar, Senegal. And it is not only people in the high socioeconomic classes that are affected by these nutritional factors. In cities such as Accra and Ouagadougout, at least 19% of adults from the poorest households are overweight, while 19-28 % have hypertension. The cooperation of governments, partners, private sector and civil society is needed to regulate the food and drink industry and to promote healthy eating to the public. [NPID: diet, disease, mental health, West Africa, malnutrition, FV intake, fruits, vegetables, obesity, Cape verde, Ghana, Senegal, hypertension, high blood pressure, Burkina Faso, high socioeconomic class, Affra, Ouagadougout, poor, overweight, public health]

Although the evidence for the health benefits of consuming adequate levels of whole fruits has been growing, Dreher (2018) emphasizes that less than 10% of most Western populations manage to eat sufficient levels of whole fruits and dietary fiber. The purpose of this study was to present these health benefits associated with the adequate intake of whole fruits throughout the human life cycle. Consuming recommended levels reduces/prevents gastrointestinal issues (e.g. constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel diseases, and diverticular disease), promotes long-term weight management, and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, following this recommendation can protect against colorectal and lung cancers, improve odds of successful aging, reduce the severity of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, enhance mental well-being, and contribute to higher bone mineral density. Thus, low consumption of whole fruits may represent a more serious global population health threat than previously thought. [NPID: diet, disease, mental health, fruits, fiber, Western-style diet, WS diet, gastrointestinal issues, constipation, IBS, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticular disease, weight management, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, well-being]

In this 2019 study, nine outpatients with type 2 diabetes were given personal digital assistants for 6 months to record their psychological stress, anxiety, and depressive mood, as well as food and drink they consumed. The objective was to determine whether preceding psychological factors influence calorie intake within 5 hours. In past studies, questionnaires were used to obtain data, but they include recall bias. The personal digital assistant provides a means to record subjective symptoms and behaviors in participants’ daily lives. Higher psychological stress correlated with higher calorie intake from snacks within the following 5-hour time period. Whereas psychological stress, anxiety, and depressive mood were inversely associated with calorie consumption from regular meals. In summary, psychological factors were shown to affect the number of calories type 2 diabetic patients consume. [NPID: diet, disease, mental health, psychological stress, anxiety, depression, stress, type 2 diabetes, diabetes]

This 2019 study utilized the data of the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study to determine the relationship between diet quality and 2-year changes in cognitive function. The aim was to specifically inspect the association between the Mediterranean diet score (MeDS) with the 2-year difference in cognitive function, comparing those with and without type 2 diabetes, and those with controlled and uncontrolled blood glucose levels. Comparisons were also made with other diet quality scores such as Healthy Eating Index, Alternate Healthy Eating Index, and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension scores. Mediterranean diet score (MeDS) was the only diet quality score that was positively associated with 2-year alterations in cognition in type 2 diabetes but was not in non-diabetics. Similar results were recorded for other cognitive tests (Mini-Mental State Examination, word recognition, digit span, and clock drawing tests). The results also remained consistent for individuals under glycemic control at baseline and either improved or kept stable over the 2 years, but this was not the case for individuals with uncontrolled or poor/declined glycemic control. Other findings include the link between all diet quality scores with higher 2-year memory function in adults without type 2 diabetes. Mattei et al. thus deduce from this study that adhering to a Mediterranean diet and effectively managing type 2 diabetes may support optimal cognitive function. [NPID: diet, disease, mental health, diet quality, cognition, Mediterranean diet, Med diet, blood glucose levels, DASH, diabetes, type 2 diabetes, word recognition]