Table of ContentsIntroductionExplaining the Mediterranean DietZinc in the Mediterranean DietMagnesium in the Mediterranean DietIron in the Mediterranean DietVitamins in the DietFasting and Calorie RestrictionConclusionReferencesIntroductionMental health refers to well-being emotional, social and psychological of an individual (1). The importance of mental health is constantly highlighted in the media and people are starting to be more open when talking about their mental health. It is for this reason that research into the etiology of the disease is progressing. Diet has been shown to strongly contribute to mental health, with a 2014 finding revealing that increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat can improve your overall well-being (2). This essay will focus on how nutrients in the different foods we eat can affect mental health and whether the Mediterranean diet is most beneficial for obtaining these nutrients. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Over time, Western diets have migrated toward high-calorie foods filled with concentrated fats and sugars. Evolutionary biologists once thought that cravings for sugar and fat were due to humans wanting to get as many calories as possible in uncertain environments (3). Now that these conditions no longer exist for the majority of people in the Western world, these high-calorie foods are often consumed in excess, leading to many obesity-related problems, including mental health problems. The UK government has begun to realize the risk that high-calorie diets pose to the population and has therefore begun to implement changes. For example, a sugar tax in 2018 helped reduce sugar consumption in the UK, thereby reducing obesity rates. This has consequently helped to improve the mental health of the UK population, as obesity (particularly severe obesity in women) has been strongly linked to depressive states (4). Sugar has been shown to increase inflammation in the body, with a 2014 study showing that when consuming a 50 gram dose of fructose, the level of CRP in the body increases after 30 minutes and remains elevated for another 2 hours after that (5) . In a 2019 review, increased inflammation in the body (of which CRP is a marker of bodily inflammation) was shown to be associated with serious mental illnesses (6). In addition to the sugar tax, the government has more directly recognized the importance of mental health by providing, as part of the 10-year plan launched in early 2019, a £2.3 billion increase in health funding mental health per year by 2023. /24 (7). Nutrients are also thought to be closely linked to good mental health. These most beneficial are… Polyunsaturated fats (omega 3) Minerals (zinc, magnesium, iron) Vitamins (folate, B vitamins, antioxidants). Throughout the essay I will mainly focus on the impact of certain nutrients on mental health issues, whether which foods included in the Mediterranean diet are best for this and we will find out if meal timings have an effect on mental state. Explain the Mediterranean Diet This is a diet that focuses on eating large amounts of fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes and fish while eating poultry, eggs and yogurt in moderation. ThereRed meat is very rarely consumed. Alcohol consumption is moderate, with around 1 glass of red wine per day. When preparing meals, olive oil is the go-to, whether for dipping wheat bread as a starter or for cooking the main course. The monounsaturated fats found in olive oil differ greatly from the saturated fats found in Western diets, which are well known to harm overall health. As a result, foods high in sugar and processed meats are strongly avoided, instead of eating chips or chocolate as a snack, the Mediterranean diet focuses on snacking on almonds or olives. Eating fish makes up a large part of this diet and gives the body omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that humans cannot synthesize on their own. Two essential fatty acids (EFAs) that the body must obtain from external sources are the omega-6 fatty acid, linoleic acid. » and omega-3 fatty acid “α-linoleic acid” (8). Linoleic acid is digested to form arachidonic acid (ARA), which increases inflammation in the body by increasing the number of pro-inflammatory eicosanoids (9). Fortunately, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) come from eating fish, and they are both anti-inflammatory eicosanoids. DHA is found in higher concentrations than EPA in the brain, largely in neuronal membranes where it is necessary for normal neuronal development and behavior, as shown in a 2011 animal study (10). The effect of DHA on cognitive function is also suggested in a 2009 study in mice, showing that DHA is linked to increased neurogenesis in the hippocampus, thereby increasing memory and learning function ( 11). Note that this experiment was done on mice, so we don't know if the effect will be the same on humans. EPA and DHA also affect the omega-3 fatty acid inflammatory pathway. Due to the pathway starting with arachidonic acid, EPA and DHA can combine with it to create membrane-bound phospholipids, thereby decreasing the overall concentration of arachidonic acid. EPA may also act as a competitive inhibitor with arachidonic acid, thereby reducing the amount of pro-inflammatory eicosanoids produced. In a 2015 study, DHA was also proposed to have a differential effect on some patients with IL-6 gene expression, affecting the cytokine TNFα by partially inhibiting the NFκB signaling pathway(12). Inflammation is suggested to increase immune activation, as the brain translates this as a “stressor” that can increase the risk of depression (13). In depressed patients, levels of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) decrease, but then patients are treated with antidepressants (which decrease inflammation), the level of BNDF expression and the patient's mood all increase two (14). In the Mediterranean diet, seafood is not the only place we can get omega-3 fatty acids. ALA (α-linoleic acid) is found in many leafy vegetables, while linoleic acid is found in many vegetable or nut oils. The conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA is extremely low and the best intake of these omega-3 fatty acids comes directly from seafood, especially salmon. This may well be the reason for a 2014 study showing that marine sources of omega-3 fatty acids have a decrease in inflammatory markers (i.e., CRP, TNFα, and IL-6) in the blood of non-obese patients (15). Although numerous studies have shown the existence of alink between omega-3 fatty acids and mood, the strength of this link may be questioned. For example, a report on how omega-polyunsaturated fatty acids affect depression produced mixed results (16). This is not the only report showing the same result, with a report from Bloch & Hannestead (17) claiming that omega-3 supplementation had no significant benefit over placebo. This report attracted some scrutiny, however, as another article published in 2011 reported a clear benefit between omega-3 supplementation and alleviation of depression symptoms (18). This report, along with other previous ones (19), demonstrates the idea that EPA is the effective omega-3 component for treating depression. The authors of these articles provided some insight into why this might be the case, but provided no evidence, demonstrating that further research is needed. We need to look at how much omega-3 fatty acids we should be consuming to be effective. According to a 2009 study (20), the recommended intake of EPA and DHA is 250 to 500 mg per day, while the Western diet gives us an average intake of 100 to 135 mg per day. The Mediterranean diet easily meets this recommended daily value. The recommended dose then increases in pregnant women, with an increase of 70 mg/day for pregnant women in the last 3 months of pregnancy (21). This is mainly due to placental transfer to the fetus, endangering the mother. In a placebo study (22), the authors compared two omega preparations enriched in EPA and one in DHA. They found that none of them were superior to placebo monotherapy for major depressive disorder. However, in another study (23), administering EPA-rich omega-3 fatty acids with citalopram was found to significantly reduce symptoms, compared to citalopram and placebo. Therefore, different studies provide conflicting results on the impact of omega-3 fatty acids on depression. For example, in a study investigating the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on depression after MI, no effects on depression symptoms were reported (24), and many other publications provide the same conflicting results. . One reason for this could be that depression is a multifactorial illness and is therefore affected by genetics, age, environment, etc. Additionally, although studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids can decrease the amount of inflammation in the body. brain, we still don't know the science behind this, which has given rise to some controversy over whether or not this is true (25). The evidence for the impact of omega-3 fatty acids on different mental health problems is less studied than that for depression. However, in a dementia study (26), increased dietary intake of DHA was found to decrease the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD), provided that the ApoE4 genotype was not protective against this limit. However, this is not the same for all mental health conditions, as in a study aimed at finding new treatments for schizophrenia, Ethyl-EPA was used to see if it had an impact on the treatment, and few results were found (27). These studies above may show conflicting evidence as to whether omega-3 fatty acids can improve mental health, due to the limited side effects of achieving a healthy level of 250-500 mg/day d EPA and DHA (20), there is little evidence showing harm to following a Mediterranean diet. However, there is evidence that there is a link between inflammation and omega-3 fatty acids,demonstrating that this diet can have beneficial effects on mental health depending on various factors, for example age, sex and genotype. Zinc in the Mediterranean dietZinc is an essential element. trace element that we consume in our diet, the recommended dose being 11 mg per day for adult men and 8 mg for women, rising to 13 mg during pregnancy (28). A large amount of zinc is found in oysters, chickpeas, lentils and beans (foods consumed in large quantities in the Mediterranean diet). One of zinc's main responsibilities is thought to bind to DNA transcription factors, creating zinc finger proteins (ZnF), which affect gene expression in the CNS. In a study on mice (29), it was later shown that the highest zinc levels are found in the adult hippocampus, one of the primary locations of adult neurogenesis. In a collective review of different experiments (30), it was found that there is strong evidence to suggest that a lack of neurogenesis in adults impacts mental health, including depression, anxiety and schizophrenia. The role of zinc in the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is controversial. One study (31) shows a significant increase in zinc in the hippocampus in patients with AD (with age-matched controls), while another shows a decrease in blood zinc levels in patients with AD. AD in similar control groups (32). These conflicting results show that more research is needed on the physiology of zinc in the brain. Nonetheless, ideas between zinc and AD continue to advance, with one prominent theory suggesting that zinc aids in the phosphorylation of serine 214 in tau proteins, causing tau hyperphosphorylation (33). Many studies have shown that zinc plays an important role in the treatment of depression. For example, results from a study on treatment-resistant depression (TRD) revealed that a drop in serum zinc is a marker of TRD and the inflammatory response in depression (34). Although the science behind this is not fully understood, a 2002 report found evidence suggesting that low levels of zinc increase the amount of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the brain (35), which which can cause inflammation. In a rat study, it was also shown that low serum zinc levels can lead to TRD, as zinc levels appear to be lowest in rats that did not respond to antidepressant drug treatment (36 ). Interestingly, zinc has been shown to affect depression more in women than in men, with a 2012 population study finding that zinc led to a significantly greater reduction in depressive symptoms in women than in men (37 ). Further research is needed to understand the causes. Magnesium in the Mediterranean Diet Magnesium supplementation has also been shown to benefit mental health. In a 2006 study, it was shown that magnesium could be used in the treatment of major depression, as low levels of magnesium could damage neuronal calcium channels (38). Other studies have also demonstrated that magnesium deficiencies are found in other disorders, for example a study of children with ADHD found that magnesium deficiency in children with ADHD was more common than in children with ADHD. healthy children (39). Magnesium deficiencies have also become more common over the past 20 to 30 years.In recent years, as highly processed foods in Western diets contain very little magnesium, suggesting that this could potentially be a reason why many studies show dramatic increases in ADHD (40). However, little research has been done on the negative side effects of magnesium in healthy people, but research shows that patients with severe kidney disease should be cautious and monitored if they take magnesium supplements (41 ). All of this supports the argument for a Mediterranean diet, as seafood, vegetables, and fruits all contain high levels of magnesium. Iron in the Mediterranean Diet Iron deficiency is the most common dietary deficiency in the world, mainly due to bleeding or breastfeeding. In addition to causing anemia, iron has a significant impact on neurology. There are many theories about the impact of low iron on the brain, with one study suggesting that the main reason is due to slow neuronal processing (42). Like magnesium, iron deficiency has been linked to children suffering from various psychiatric disorders, including ADHD and autism (43). However, if iron supplements were taken, the patient would be expected to have an iron deficiency, as hemochromatosis and cirrhosis can occur if iron levels become too high. Therefore, a diet such as the Mediterranean diet, rich in green vegetables (a high source of iron), can achieve the recommended daily intake of 8.7 mg for adult men and 14.8 mg per day for women adults (44), without taking supplements. Vitamins In the diet, vitamins play an important role in mental health. For example, a case study of a 29-year-old man found that OCD symptoms appeared at the first manifestations of vitamin B12 deficiency (45), while similar studies in older adults showed similar results. (46). In another case report study, it was later shown that cobalamin (vitamin B12) deficiency is linked to psychosis and folate deficiency is linked to depressive disorders (47). It often takes 3 to 5 years for a vitamin B12 deficiency to affect the body, because the liver has large quantities of it. It is therefore generally older people who have a vitamin B12 deficiency. It is therefore important that elderly patients consume enough folate and B12, not only for their mental health, but a deficiency can lead to anemia. It is recommended that adults consume 200 mg of folate per day and 1.5 micrograms of B12 (48). Both of these goals can be achieved by following a Mediterranean diet, as green vegetables will provide plenty of folate, and salmon and cod will provide B12. Fasting and Calorie Restriction In addition to the foods we eat, it also appears that fasting calorie restriction and when we eat can also affect mood. For example, in a 2003 study, it was shown that on short-term diets, sleep quality and daytime performance were improved (49). A prolonged calorie deficit has been shown in numerous studies to improve mood, thereby decreasing depression. symptoms. For example, a study of FCR (Fasting and Calorie Diet) in aging men for 3 months found that the diet was beneficial in reducing negative moods such as anger and anxiety, instead promoting a calmer mood and better (50). In a longer study, the same results were demonstrated in a more varied age group and showed no side effects (51). In a study on mice,Calorie restriction was found to also help prevent neurodegeneration, paving the way for the idea that this diet could be beneficial in preventing Alzheimer's disease (52). We have only suggestive evidence for these results above. For example, in a study on mice (52), it was found that during 10-day fasting, mood was improved through activation of orexin signaling. This increases arousal, appetite and alertness. In another report on mice (53), it was found that the level of p-CREB (phosphorylated cAMP-responsive element binding) was also increased. This plays an important role in the regulation of neuronal transcription, an area affected by many antidepressants. Ketones may also play an important role in improving mood. During the first 24 hours of fasting, there will be lipolysis of fats, producing ketones. According to a 2009 study (54), this can lead to a notable increase in mitochondrial function and neurotrophic factors, with a decrease in inflammatory mediators. However, there is no evidence as to which of these factors accounts for the neuroprotective effects of ketones. However, not all studies surrounding FCR support it. In a 4-week study in mice (55), it was found that a calorie deficit with a 34% decrease in calories led to increased corticosterone levels (which increase with stress). In a separate study in mice (56), it was shown that increased corticosteroids due to a caloric deficit can induce neuronal damage. Although these tests were performed on mice and not humans, they show contrasting evidence compared to the FCR diet. In addition to this, there is conflicting evidence as to whether calorie restriction during Ramadan fasting improves mood. For example, in a study looking at alertness and mood at different times of the day (57), these were lowest at 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., then highest at 11:00 p.m. There is no evidence to support the reasons for this, as this was an observational study, so further research is needed. In contrast to this point, another study looked at the adverse effects of 12-hour fasting during Ramadan on the mental health of bipolar patients (58). They found no increase in lithium blood levels or any effects on mental state. These findings conclude that much more research is needed to understand the reasoning behind how a fasted body affects brain function. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Personalized Essay Conclusion Overall, the Mediterranean diet provides a perfectly adequate intake of nutrients necessary for healthy brain function. Although each of the nutrients has been the subject of much individual research, there is only enough evidence to suggest a correlation between nutrient deficiency and mental health disorders. Further research is therefore needed into theories regarding the physiological effect of nutrients on the brain. However, the overall results of the Mediterranean diet seem promising not only for the prevention of mental health disorders but also for their eradication. One study found that current treatments for depression leave 20 to 40% of patients with persistent depressive symptoms (59). The effectiveness of treatment might be improved for these patients if they followed the Mediterranean diet while receiving treatment. :. 4624-4635.