Increasingly it is being shown that the typical Western diet possess particular characteristics that make it an unhealthy diet. In particular, the typical Western diet contains a number of foods that have been identified as having unhealthy traits. These foods include refined starches and sugars, processed and oxidised fats, processed meats, synthetic food additives and artificial sweeteners. In addition, the typical Western diet is absent of a number of foods and nutrients that are required for health including certain vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and phytonutrients. The typical Western diet is therefore a low quality diet, and this explains the association between the diet and disease. Studies now provide good evidence that the typical Western diet is a causative factor in the development of cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and obesity. As the understanding between the typical Western diet and disease has grown, it is becoming clear that the diet may also have detrimental effects on mental health.
For example, in one study, researchers1 investigated the association between the typical Western diet and the risk of depression and anxiety in women. Anxiety and depression rates are high and rising in Western nations, and if a link with diet is confirmed, this could explain the increasing prevalence. The researchers used a diet questionnaire to assess the diets of the subjects and then used an interview style approach to assess the mental health of the women. The results of the study showed that consumption of traditional high quality foods such as nuts, vegetables, fruit, meat, fish and whole grains was associated with a reduced risk of developing major depression, dysthymia or anxiety. In contrast, a Western style diet pattern characterised by high intakes of sugar, processed grains, fried foods and beer was associated with an increased risk of developing the same mental disorders. Therefore the nutritional habits of the women may have played a significant role in determining their mental health.
Dr Robert Barrington’s Nutritional Comments: The results from this study show that poor quality diets are associated with a higher risk of developing mental disorders. This is not surprising, as it is becoming increasingly evident that poor quality diets such as the typical Western diet are responsible for a slow and incessant deterioration in health that results in a general malaise and the development of a number of closely linked diseases. That mental health suffers as a result of the same diet is likely a combination of both the presence of poor quality foods, many of which act as metabolic poisons, and the absence of particular nutrients that are required for health. The consumption of sugar may play a role in the development of mental disorders as high intakes of sugar are associated with poor mental function, and mental health problems. Improving the quality of the diet through consumption of more nuts, vegetables, fruit and whole grains is recommended in order to protect from mental health issues.
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