Research link between bad diet and mental ill heath, report urges

January 16, 2006
by Mike George

The link between a bad diet and mental ill heath should become more of a priority for researchers, a report has urged.

A poor diet is increasingly being linked with depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other mental health problems, said the report co-written by the Mental Health Foundation and Sustain, an organisation promoting good quality farming.

Dr Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the foundation, said policy makers would be “foolish” to underestimate the importance of how a nutritionally-deficient diet is being linked to mental illness.

The report states, for example, that saturated fats - the consumption of which has been increasing with the boom in ready meals - acts to slow down the brain's working process.

People are also eating 34% less vegetables and two-thirds less fish - the main source of important omega-3 fatty acids - than they were 50 years ago.

The report, entitled Feeding Minds, was based on a a review of both peer-reviewed journals and non-reviewed literature, the internet, and conferences.

A UK-wide eating habits opinion poll survey of 2122 adults was also conducted.

The report lists nutrients considered good for the brain.

Dr McCulloch said: “We know that dietary interventions may hold the key to a number of the mental health challenges our society is facing.

"Yet we rarely invest in developing this knowledge, and a relatively tiny – but growing - number of professionals are putting it to effective use."

Rebecca Foster, a nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, recommended caution.

She told bbc.co.uk: "The evidence associating mental health and nutrient intake is in its infancy, this is a very difficult association to research and in many cases results are subjective.

"Therefore, it is difficult to draw conclusions about the association between mental illness and dietary intake at this point.

"However, the nutrient recommendations outlined in this report are in line with recommendations for good health, which should continue to be advocated by all health professionals."

Read for yourself:
Feeding Minds report (pdf)

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Poverty denies diet luxuries to chronically ill

Comment from: Jean Johnston, ex carer, writer and mental health adviser, Helensburgh, Scotland. thecairn.com
Date: January 17, 2006

The report suggesting the link between bad diet and mental ill health makes sense just as our physical health is also dependent on our diet.

It would seem, therefore, that a good diet should be a necessity for those who have become ill.

Unfortunately those already affected by chronic mental ill health and consquently stuck in the benefits trap find that living on perhaps just £10 per day leaves little room for the required 5 fruit and veg never mind such luxuries as the chicken and fish. An issue that might now require addressing.

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