- Dietary patterns and food choices affect brain function, but the specific relationship between food and the brain is complex.
- Researchers are interested in what diets optimize brain function and health.
- One study examined four dietary patterns and found that a balanced diet containing several types of foods had the greatest overall benefit for brain health.
What people eat affects their well-being, but sometimes it’s hard to tell the exact impact of diet on health.
A recent study published in
In their analysis of almost 182,000 participants, the researchers found that those who followed a balanced diet were more likely to have better mental health and cognitive functioning.
They also noted genetic differences that may have influenced the results among the different dietary groups.
Although research will continue in this area, the study points to the importance of making smart food choices to improve brain function and mental health outcomes.
People can develop preferences for certain foods, which can affect overall dietary patterns over time. Researchers are interested in how these preferences may affect brain function and mental health, and whether specific diets are better for mental health.
Some research supports the idea that certain diets and food choices are better for mental well-being. In contrast, others can contribute to poor mental health.
For example, following a diet high in fruits, vegetables and fish can help
Likewise, eating more fruits and vegetables and getting essential micronutrients can help reduce it
Diet can also affect how well the brain functions. For example, following a Mediterranean diet can help slow cognitive decline.
Isabel M. Vasquez, MS, RD, a registered dietitian at Memorial Hermann Health System, who was not involved in the recent study, noted the following at Medical News Today:
“We know that diet plays an important role in brain health. Research shows that diets rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats can support cognitive function and reduce the risk of cognitive decline. Conversely, diets high in processed foods, saturated fats and sugars can have negative effects on the brain.
“Previous research has consistently shown that diet plays a major role in brain health, influencing cognitive function and emotional well-being. “Nutrient-rich, balanced diets are often associated with reduced risk of cognitive decline and better mental health outcomes,” Vasquez added.
For the current study, the researchers focused on four main dietary patterns, looking at participants’ food preferences:
- non-starchy or reduced starch – this group prefers fruit, vegetables and protein, but shows a lower preference for starchy foods such as bread or pasta
- vegetarian – this group prefers fruits and vegetables, but shows a lower preference for protein
- high protein and low fiber – this group prefers snacks and protein foods and has a lower preference for fruits and vegetables
- balanced diet — this group shows similar preferences in all food groups.
The researchers found correspondence between food preferences and actual food consumption characteristics.
The researchers who conducted the current study looked at data from the UK Biobank, focusing on food preference data. The researchers asked about food preferences in several categories, including dairy, fruit, flavors, alcohol, meat, snacks, starches and vegetables.
They then looked at the relationship between these dietary preferences and several brain-related outcomes. First, they assessed mental health, collecting data on components including symptoms of anxiety and depression, symptoms of mania, psychotic experience, trauma, self-harm, and well-being.
Higher scores indicate poorer mental health, except for the well-being measure, where a higher score suggests better mental well-being.
The researchers further assessed cognitive function with several tests, looked at blood biochemistry and metabolic biomarkers, and examined brain structure using MRI.
Finally they looked
The study found that the balanced diet subtype benefited the most of all four groups—those in the balanced diet subtype had lower scores on most measures of mental health and higher well-being scores.
This group also had the best measured reaction times, while the high-protein, low-fiber diet group scored best on a cognitive test involving symbol substitution
People in the balanced diet group also had higher levels of gray matter in certain areas of the brain compared to the high-protein, low-fiber group.
However, the vegetarian group also showed higher levels of gray matter in certain areas of the brain.
The balanced diet group also had a relatively lower genetic risk for most mental disorders. In contrast, the vegetarian group had a higher genetic risk of Alzheimer’s disease, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and several other mental disorders.
The high-protein, low-fiber group had a higher genetic risk of ischemic stroke.
The researchers also found that several genes were different between the balanced group and the high-protein, low-fiber group.
These genes are “enriched in biological processes related to mental health and cognition,” indicating how genetics may be involved in the observed outcomes.
Overall, the results show how eating a balanced diet can help improve brain health and mental well-being.
Molly Raposo, RDN, registered dietitian nutritionist and senior lecturer in nutrition and health at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, California, who was not involved in the study, shared her thoughts on the findings with MNT.
“This study found that a ‘healthier’ diet with balanced preferences across food categories – noted fruits, vegetables, starches, proteins and snacks – was associated with better mental health status, higher levels of cognitive function and less risks of mental disorders,” she explained.
“It is exciting to see this result in such a large study (181,990 participants) with a lot of data – behavioral, neuroimaging, biochemical and genetic analyses. High-protein, low-fiber diets with an emphasis on snacks were also found to be associated with lower well-being scores, higher levels of inflammatory markers, and increased risk of stroke. These findings appear to be consistent with what we already know about diet and brain health.
– Molly Raposo, RDN
This study adds to the evidence suggesting that what people eat affects multiple areas of health. However, the study also has certain limitations.
First, it uses UK Biobank data, which does not fully reflect the diversity of the UK population where Biobank collects this data.
This is because the cohort was recruited more than 20 years ago, and while the cohort reflects the ethnic composition of the UK in 2001, this has changed since then. The cohort also consisted of older individuals and all members of this cohort were aged between 53–87 years.
The research then focused mainly on healthy individuals. Those who answered food-like questionnaires and those who did not may also have influenced the results.
The nature of the study also means that it cannot prove cause and effect. The average age of the participants was about 71 years, so future research may focus on younger participants.
Additionally, the researchers note that while they were able to examine levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, they did not examine levels of
They also did not collect detailed information on how omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids were incorporated into dietary patterns. These choices may have resulted in overlooked data, as these elements are important for serotonin synthesis and therefore overall mental health.
Finally, some data collection is based on participant reporting, which is not always factual. The researchers also focused on food preferences rather than data on the actual foods participants ate and used simplified measures of mental health factors.
Nevertheless, even taking these shortcomings into account, the results point to the importance of following healthy dietary patterns in maintaining positive brain health outcomes.
