Nutritional psychiatry research: an emerging discipline and its intersection with global urbanization, environmental challenges and the evolutionary mismatch

Abstract

In 21st-century public health, rapid urbanization and mental health disorders are a growing global concern. The relationship between diet, brain function and the risk of mental disorders has been the subject of intense research in recent years. In this review, we examine some of the potential socioeconomic and environmental challenges detracting from the traditional dietary patterns that might otherwise support positive mental health. In the context of urban expansion, climate change, cultural and technological changes and the global industrialization and ultraprocessing of food, findings related to nutrition and mental health are connected to some of the most pressing issues of our time. The research is also of relevance to matters of biophysiological anthropology. We explore some aspects of a potential evolutionary mismatch between our ancestral past (Paleolithic, Neolithic) and the contemporary nutritional environment. Changes related to dietary acid load, advanced glycation end products and microbiota (via dietary choices and cooking practices) may be of relevance to depression, anxiety and other mental disorders. In particular, the results of emerging studies demonstrate the importance of prenatal and early childhood dietary practices within the developmental origins of health and disease concept. There is still much work to be done before these population studies and their mirrored advances in bench research can provide translation to clinical medicine and public health policy. However, the clear message is that in the midst of a looming global epidemic, we ignore nutrition at our peril.

Prenatal diet and children's trajectories of hyperactivity–inattention and conduct problems from 3 to 8 years: the EDEN mother–child cohort

“…As a consequence, nutritional education and food supplementation have become important cornerstones for health promotion and disease prevention (Ghattas, ). Beyond the well‐known impact of nutrition on the noncommunicable physical diseases (e.g., cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity), the literature on diet has recently widened its scope to include mental health and neurodevelopmental outcomes (Jacka, Sacks, Berk, & Allender, ; Logan & Jacka, ; O'Neil et al., ). Both healthy (i.e., high in vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seafood) and unhealthy Western (i.e., highly processed foods, high in carbohydrates, saturated, and trans fats) diets have been linked, respectively, to reduced and heightened liability for common mental disorders.…”

“…This putative association supposes the direct repercussions of nutrition on the developing brain (e.g., neurotransmission and plasticity) and on fetal programming (i.e., epigenetic modifications). Other processes involving oxidative stress, the microbiote and the immune system might also be involved (Jacka et al., ; Logan & Jacka, ; O'Neil et al., ).…”

N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids through the Lifespan: Implication for Psychopathology

“…The general transition to more calorically dense, processed diets and reduced physical activity have had a significant impact on the overall health of individuals in developed nations and are associated with an increased incidence of psychopathologies such as anxiety and depression (Logan and Jacka, 2014). Accumulating translational evidence implicates the quality of diet as a crucial and common determinant for mental disorders (McNamara et al, 2015).…”

Transforming Life: A Broad View of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Concept from an Ecological Justice Perspective

“…From the mental health perspective, nutrition is now proven to be an essential consideration in short and long-term neuro-emotional health, particularly in positive mental outlook [7,70]. At the population level, adherence to dietary patterns with relatively lower amounts of highly-processed foods (i.e., traditional patterns known to be less inflammatory) is associated with lowered risk of depressive symptoms of anxiety and depression [71,72].…”