DIET LINKED TO LOWER PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, STUDY FINDS

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A Queensland University of Technology (QUT) study has found a strong correlation between diet and mental health, with fruit and vegetable consumption associated with reduced psychological distress.

The analysis, based on health survey data from more than 45,000 Australians, showed that people who ate less than one serve of vegetables a day had 1.6 times the odds of suffering psychological distress compared with those who consumed five or more serves daily.

Psychological distress refers to depression, anxiety and stress.

Study first author Dr Kerri Gillespie, from QUT’s School of Clinical Sciences and based at Brisbane’s Translational Research Institute (TRI), said women appeared to gain the most benefit from vegetable consumption.

“Women appear to go on benefiting from vegetables in their diet up to five or more serves per day, while for men the benefit appears to peak at around three or four serves per day,” Dr Gillespie said.

Fruit intake was also linked to a reduced prevalence of psychological distress, but mainly for women and only up to two daily servings.

Study last author Professor Selena Bartlett said the results were significant.

“The findings are extremely significant because it’s an Australian study with a very large sample of more than 45,000 people. It’s very exciting,” Professor Bartlett said.

“Correlation is never causation, and we have to be careful about that, but rarely do we think deeply about how diet affects our psychological health, and I think that's the beauty of the study.”

A second, smaller study led by Dr Gillespie explored links between diet and mental health in 129 healthy adults via an online survey.

“We found an interesting pattern between the consumption of sugary soft drinks and the risk of depression,” Dr Gillespie said.

“Having seven or more cups of soft drinks a week increased the odds of depression by almost five times.

Conversely, there appears to be a relationship between a high fibre diet and slightly lower anxiety.”

Professor Bartlett said the work added to growing evidence of the impact of diet on mental health.

“We are not in any way saying eating more vegetables is a cure for mental health, but this research supports the existing health messaging recommending diets high in vegetables and low in sugar,” she said.

The first study, Vegetable and Fruit Consumption and Psychological Distress: Findings from Australian National Health Survey Data, 2011–2018, was published in The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

The second study, The association of dietary components with depression and anxiety symptoms: findings from a cross-sectional survey, was published in Frontiers in Nutrition.