We all know that a well balanced diet is important to keep us in shape and prevent disease. However, diet might also do more.. the food we eat can impact our mood and mental health. How does our diet impact our mental health? Let's find out!

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For a long time, people have been interested in various forms of diets. Especially in the past centuries, many diets have been established including the vinegar diet or the mediterrenean diet. Over the past decades scientists started to understand, however, that diets are not only important for our fitness but also for our mental health. Some forms of diet are associated with depression and anxiety disorder while others (especially the Mediterranean diet) seems to improve mental health. But how?
Everytime we eat our food travels through the body into our gut. Here we find highly diverse bacteria (gut microbiome) which break down the food and release amino acids and vitamins. These molecules are then taken up by the body and travel to the brain where they are used to build brain structures and neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are especially important for our mood as they are used as a form of communication between brain cells. If we do not eat properly the gut microbiome might be disturb and inflammation in the gut might result. Stress signals are send to the brain and our mental health might become worse.
Researchers are finding more and more links between diet, the gut microbiome and mental health. Especially if the gut microbiome is less diverse and unbalanced we might be more inclined to develop mental disorders. Other bacteria, which might be harmful in the gut are more abundant in patients who suffer from depression. Especially the two bacteria Morganella and Klebsiella seem to have a causative role in the development of depression.
So what is considered good for our gut microbiome? Which diet is good for our mental health? Food which is often part of the so-called Western Diet is generally bad for our mental health. The Western Diet is defined by processed food. We often find food high in saturated fats, refined sugars, salts, and low in fiber in the Western diet. The Western diet is linked to an increased risk to develop anxiety, depression, and ADHD. Contrary, the Mediterranean diet looks like the most promising form of diet to prevent depression. A Mediterranean diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, olive oil, whole grains, and lean protein such as chicken and fish, and low in red meat and unhealthy fats. Especially avocadoes, nuts, olives, and vegetable oils contain unsaturated fatty acids and polyphenols. It was found that the Mediterranean diet reduce the risk to develop depression by 42%.


00:00-00:50 Intro
00:50-3:20 Scientific History of Diets
3:20-8:37 How Our Food Impacts Our Mood
8:37-13:19 Which Diet is the Best?

References:
www.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32340112/
www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/effects-of-nutrition-on-mood-variability-in-bipolar-disorder
www.science.org/content/article/gut-microbe-linked-depression-large-health-study
www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.871238/full
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6170050/pdf/ms112_p0111.pdf
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6170050/pdf/ms112_p0111.pdf
www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(15)00241-2/fulltext
www.skyterrawellness.com/history-of-dieting/
www.nature.com/articles/ejcn2012193
www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.564413/full

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Bifidobacterium adolescentis by Y tambe, CC BY-SA 3.0
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About Clemens Steinek:

CLEMENS STEINEK is a PhD student/youtuber (Sciencerely) who is currently conducting stem cell research in Germany.