Scientists from Binghamton University (Binghamton University) conducted experiments and established that by changing diet and lifestyle, a person can improve his mental state. At the same time, there are a number of products that provoke anxiety and depression.
The study, which lasted 5 years, involved 2,628 people from North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Within its framework, the subjects' diets, exercise regimens, and lifestyle were analyzed.
Differences in the degree of brain maturity between young (18–29 years old) and mature (30 years and older) people, as well as male and female brain morphology, were also taken into account. The distribution of participants was as follows: 1147 young women, 628 mature women, 641 young men and 207 mature men.
The aim of the study was to identify significant factors such as diet and lifestyle that contribute to mental disorders in these population subgroups.
Participants filled out questionnaires about their condition at different times of the day and in different seasons. Each group showed key dietary and lifestyle changes that corresponded to periods of anxiety and depression.
Data collection was carried out over a 5-year period (2014–2019) at different points in time and seasons. Stepwise regression analysis was then used.
As a result, the following was established.
- Psychological distress in young women was associated with high consumption of caffeine and fast food and was negatively correlated with moderate-to-high levels of physical exercise as well as frequent breakfast. That is, Frequent consumption of caffeine, as well as moderate or frequent consumption of fast food, can negatively affect their mental health.
- Older women shared much in common with younger women (caffeine exposure and fast food consumption), but high fruit intake was negatively associated with mental distress. And, unlike young women, in mature women frequent physical exercises are associated with mental well-being.
- In young men, frequent exercise, moderate dairy consumption, and moderate to high meat consumption are negatively associated with mental distress. A high consumption of fast food and caffeine are positively related.
- In mature men, strong negative associations were found between higher education, moderate nut consumption, and mental disorders. Moderate-high meat consumption was also negatively associated.
Interestingly, young men and women showed significantly higher levels of mental distress compared to their mature peers.
In addition, the spring season and living in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region negatively affect the mental well-being of women and mature people, respectively.
Young and mature women are prone to a higher risk of mental disorders in the spring. Presumably, this is due to the sensitivity of the female metabolism to changes in daylight. By nature, women are more prone to circadian rhythm disturbances than men, which makes them more susceptible to seasonal major depressive disorder.
As in the case of mature women, there is a relationship between geographic location and level of mental stress in mature men. Those living in the Maghreb and Middle Eastern regions are more likely to have mental disorders than those living in North America.
Overall, the study findings support the need to personalize dietary and lifestyle recommendations to improve mental well-being. Therefore, any diet should be considered not only from the point of view of physical health, but also from the point of view of psychological health, the authors emphasize.
Thus, with the help of a stable daily breakfast, moderate physical exercises and reducing the consumption of junk food and caffeine, the mental state of young women improves. This also applies to elderly women, but there is a nuance: they additionally need to supplement their diet with a large amount of fruit.
The state of mental health of young men improves if they perform daily physical exercises, consume dairy products and meat, and exclude fast food and caffeine from their daily diet. Mature men for the sake of mental health should additionally eat a lot of nuts.
Scientists also recommend that everyone avoid excessive caffeine consumption.
"When young men and women consume large amounts of caffeine, it stays in their bodies for a long time and continues to stimulate the nervous system, which increases stress and leads to anxiety," says study author Lina Begdache.