Food choices linked to effects on brain health, study

Coventry: A study has shown that a healthy and balanced diet is associated with superior mental health, better mental performance and mood.

In this study, conducted at the University of Warwick, scientists used a variety of methods to better understand the impact of food choices on our physical and mental health.

Research has shown that our food choices clearly affect our health (physical and mental).

The connection between our diet and mental health may be due to changes in molecular biomarkers, gut microbiota, and brain structure and performance. For example, consumption of high amounts of sugar and saturated fat has been found to be associated with poor mental abilities and psychological problems.

Additionally, unhealthy junk food was associated with higher risks of depression and other psychological conditions compared to a balanced plant-based diet.

On the other hand, the Mediterranean diet was associated with better mental health and lower risks of neurological diseases.

In the study, scientists examined the mental health information of 181,990 people obtained from the UK Biobank. The average age of the participants in the research was 70.7 years while 57 percent of the participants were women.