What role can eating habits play in people’s mental health? Scientists have had a huge impact on the relationship between our diet and how our physical health develops, but there are still many questions about how our diet influences mental health.
Women’s mental health is likely to have a greater association with dietary factors than men, according to new research conducted by the University of Binghamton (State University of New York) and published in the Journal of Personalized Medicine.
Lina Begdache, assistant professor of health and wellness studies at Binghamton University, coordinated this study. Begdache had previously published research on diet and mood and, according to the findings of that study, suggested that a high-quality diet improves mental health. Now, in this research, the teacher wanted to test whether the personalization of the diet improves the mood between men and women 30 years of age or older.
To do this, along with research assistant Cara M. Patrissy, Begdache specified and detailed the different food groups associated with mental anguish in men and women aged 30 and over. Later, she studied the different dietary patterns in relation to the frequency of exercise and mental distress.
Women are more susceptible to poor nutrition
Finally, the results of the research concluded that women’s mental health is mostly associated with dietary factors than that of men.
In addition, mental distress and frequency of exercise were also associated with different dietary and lifestyle patterns, something that supports the concept that, to improve mental well-being, diet and lifestyle factors must be personalized.
“We found a general relationship between eating healthy, following healthy dietary practices, exercise, and mental well-being,” said Begdache, who, on the other hand, stressed that for unhealthy dietary patterns, the level of mental distress was higher in women than in men, which confirmed that women are more susceptible to unhealthy eating than men.
Thus, following the conclusions of the study and as Begdache explained, diet and exercise would be the first line of defense against the mental health of mature women.
According to the study, eating fast food, skipping breakfast, caffeine, and high-glycaemic food would be directly related to mental distress in older women. On the other hand, fruits and dark green vegetables would be associated with mental well-being.
With information from this study, health professionals will be able to customize dietary plans that promote exercise and improve mental well-being in mature adults. In addition, as Lina Begdache explained, they are now conducting a parallel study that analyzes the quality of diet, sleep, and seasonal change variables in young men and women from a longitudinal perspective.
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