Dietary Choices Have ‘Profound’ Impact On Brain Health: Study
Authored by Mary West via The Epoch Times
A study from the UK published in Nature Mental Health (NMH) on April 1 found that a healthy, balanced diet links to superior cognitive function, mental well-being, and brain health. It even increases grey matter, an effect associated with higher intelligence. The findings provide more evidence that the adage, “You are what you eat,” applies to both the mind and the body.
The results were so robust that lead author Jianfeng Feng, a professor at the University of Warwick, emphasised the importance of adopting an optimal diet in childhood.
“Developing a healthy, balanced diet from an early age is crucial for healthy growth,” he said in a press release. “To foster the development of a healthy, balanced diet, both families and schools should offer a diverse range of nutritious meals and cultivate an environment that supports their physical and mental health.”
Diet Links to Striking Effects on Brain Health
While prior research indicates certain dietary patterns are associated with mental and cognitive effects, gaps and inconsistencies are present. To narrow the gaps, the NMH study used data on 181,990 individuals from the UK Biobank to identify dietary patterns and how they link to brain structure, blood biomarkers, genetic changes, mental health, and cognitive function.
Analysis of food preferences and consumption revealed that people fall into one of four main dietary patterns:
- Subtype 1—a higher preference for vegetables, fruits, and proteins and a lower preference for starches
- Subtype 2—resembles a vegetarian diet, with a higher preference for vegetables and fruit and a lower preference for proteins
- Subtype 3—an unhealthy diet low in fibre, with a higher preference for proteins and snacks and a lower preference for vegetables and fruits
- Subtype 4—a healthy diet, consisting of balanced preferences among all food groups
A primary discovery was that food preferences affect the adaptability of the brain, which can lead to structural changes that influence mental and cognitive health. Secondly, a directional link exists between mental and cognitive health—meaning mental health plays a role in cognition.
Further Findings
Vegetarian Diet Links to Increased Mental Conditions
Subtype 2, the vegetarian diet, linked to a higher incidence of mental health symptoms, including anxiety, depression, self-harm, and psychosis. People in this group had more gene variants in mental health, which suggests the possibility that genetic susceptibility may underlie increased mental health conditions.
Unhealthy Diet Links to Inflammation and Mental Disorders
Subtype 3, the unhealthy diet, high in protein but low in fibre, had lower well-being scores than other subtypes. Individuals in this group had a higher likelihood of anxiety, depression, and stroke than those in the healthy, balanced subtype 4 diet. These results are consistent with earlier research that associates dietary quality with well-being.
The authors theorised that this link may stem from the effects of high-fat foods, which increase the release of inflammatory factors and cause gut bacteria to permeate through intestinal walls. Blood and biomarker evidence supported this theory, as subtype 3 had higher levels of substances indicating inflammation than subtype 4. These findings are in line with earlier studies, such as a 2020 review, that associate an unbalanced diet with a higher likelihood of mental disorders.
Diet Affects Brain Structure
One difference in structure involved grey matter volume (GMV). Grey matter is the part of the brain that processes information, versus white matter, the part of the brain that permits communication between gray matter regions.
The unhealthy subtype 3 diet had significantly lower GMV in 11 brain regions, compared with the balanced subtype 4 diet. This concurs with earlier studies, such as a 2017 study, that link a diet plentiful in antioxidants, vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids to higher GMV. It is also consistent with research associating diets high in protein, trans-fat, and saturated fat to lower GMV.
Diet also affects white matter, with subtype 3 showing poorer integrity in this structure than subtype 4. This was noted in an array of brain regions involved in memory, cognition, motivation, emotions, and sensory and motor symptoms. It also corroborates prior studies, such as a 2016 study, that indicate healthy dietary components are associated with increased white matter integrity.
Diet Affects Cholesterol and Fat Biomarkers
Biomarkers appeared to be sensitive reflectors of diet quality. The balanced subtype 4 diet had higher levels of HDL, “good” cholesterol, than the unhealthy subtype 3 diet. The vegetarian subtype 2 diet and subtype 3 diet had significantly lower levels of important healthful fatty acids, such as omega-3s, which may stem from a lack of fish in the diet.
Genes May Influence Brain Health
The authors identified an array of genes with elevated expression in multiple brain regions. Many of these regions also showed changes in GMV, a finding that supports the theory that genes have a critical influence on brain structure and may affect how dietary patterns impact brain health.
