Switching to a 10-day Mediterranean-style diet improves mood and cardiovascular function in a controlled crossover study

Lee, Jaime; Pase, Matthew P.; Pipingas, Andrew; Raubenheimer, Jessica; Thurgood, Madeline; Villalon, Lorena; Macpherson, Helen; Gibbs, Ayana A.; Scholey, Andrew

doi:10.1016/j.nut.2014.10.008

Cited by 55 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The lack of change in measures of mood differs from findings in previous studies. Short term walnut consumption has been shown to improve mood in non-depressed healthy young men [30] and a short term cross-over intervention with a Mediterranean style diet containing nuts also reported improvements in alertness and contentment compared with habitual diet [59]. It has been suggested that improvements in mood may be associated with a higher consumption of magnesium [60] and whilst the AED resulted in a significant increase in magnesium intake this did not result in significant changes in alertness.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of a 12-Week Almond-Enriched Diet on Biomarkers of Cognitive Performance, Mood, and Cardiometabolic Health in Older Overweight Adults

et al. 2020

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Long term nut consumption is associated with reduced risk of coronary heart disease and better cognitive function. This study examined supplementing habitual diets with almonds or carbohydrate-rich snack foods (providing 15% energy) on biomarkers of cardiovascular and metabolic health, mood and cognitive performance. Participants (overweight/obese, 50-80 years) were randomised to an almond-enriched diet (AED) or isocaloric nut-free diet (NFD) for 12 weeks. Body weight, blood lipids, glucose, insulin, blood pressure (BP), arterial stiffness, cell adhesions molecules, C reactive protein (CRP), mood, and cognitive performance (working memory primary outcome), dietary profiles and energy intake/expenditure were measured at baseline and Week 12 in 128 participants (n = 63 AED, n = 65 NFD). Compared with NFD, AED was associated with altered macro and micronutrient profiles, but no differences in energy intake or expenditure. The AED significantly reduced triglycerides and SBP but there were no other changes in cardiometabolic biomarkers, mood, or cognitive performance. The inclusion of almonds in the diet improves aspects of cardiometabolic health without affecting cognitive performance or mood in overweight/obese adults.Nutrients 2020, 12, 1180 2 of 18 cognitive performance [7]. Nut consumption represents one aspect of nutrition with wide ranging benefits that may counteract these negative influences, including reducing oxidative damage and inflammation, and improving vascular responsiveness [8][9][10]. Improvements in vascular function associated with nut intake are proposed to not only improve cardiovascular health but also contribute to improving cognitive function [11]. Clinical trials have found improvements in vascular health following consumption of walnuts [12], hazelnuts [13], and almonds [14], but this has not been a consistent finding in all studies, possibly due to differences in methods of assessing vascular health, differences in populations evaluated, dose, or length of the period of consumption [9,10].Furthermore, there is now emerging literature to support nut consumption being associated with enhanced cognitive function or reduced cognitive decline [15,16]. Key nutrients found in nuts (and almonds in particular), including monounsaturated fat [17] and vitamin E [18] have been associated with reduced cognitive decline, and it has been proposed that regular nut consumption may prevent or slow the progressing of age-related brain dysfunction [16,19]. Prospective/longitudinal studies have demonstrated a positive association between nut consumption and cognitive performance [20][21][22] with a greater effect in those with the highest nut consumption [21]. In addition, prospective cohort studies reported improved cognitive performance and a reduced incidence of cognitive decline when the Mediterranean dietary pattern (with nuts as a key component) was adhered to [23,24].There have been mixed results from randomized controlled trials assessing the effects of nut intake on cognition. A 12 week weight loss in...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of a 12-Week Almond-Enriched Diet on Biomarkers of Cognitive Performance, Mood, and Cardiometabolic Health in Older Overweight Adults

et al. 2020

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“…In children and adolescents, higher MD adherence has been associated with better academic performance, while a “western type” diet at the age of 14 years has been associated with worse cognitive performance at the age of 17 years . In young adults, 10 days of MD improved various aspects of cognition, while fish intake has been associated with better cognitive function in adolescents …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating Mediterranean diet adherence in university student populations: Does this dietary pattern affect students' academic performance and mental health?

Antonopoulou

Mantzorou

Serdari

et al. 2019

Health Planning & Management

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Summary Adherence to a healthy diet such as Mediterranean Diet (MD) may exert beneficial effects in university students, promoting their academic performance and quality of life, as well as their mental and physical health status. In this aspect, the present study aimed to critically analyze the current epidemiological evidence concerning MD adherence of university students' populations. PubMed database was comprehensively searched, using relative keywords. Students' dietary habits are moving away from MD guidelines towards unhealthy eating patterns, especially for those living away from home and even for students with a Mediterranean country origin. Most of the available studies have documented that poorer students' health status was associated with lower MD adherence. Higher MD adherence was correlated with lower depression risk, while higher perceived stress score with lower fruit and vegetables intake. The access of students to information and knowledge provided by courses and lectures did not effectively enhance their compliance to MD. Alarmingly enough, the majority of students, even from medical and nutritional university departments, showed inadequate knowledge on healthy eating habits. Due to the influence of diet on the quality of life and the mental and physical health of students, it is crucial to redirect research focus on this important aspect.

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“…400 BC), the concept of "food as medicine and medicine as food" has been followed and practiced among the different Western cultures. In the last few decades, several studies have shown that the Mediterranean diet can improve human health [1][2][3], particularly in relation to: a lower prevalence of cardiovascular disease [4][5][6][7][8][9], a possible effect on body weight and obesity regulation [10][11][12], a lower risk of type-2 diabetes mellitus [13][14][15], and to longevity improvement [2,16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gathering an edible wild plant: food or medicine? A case study on wild edibles and functional foods in Granada, Spain

2017

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A study on wild edible resources has been performed in the western part of Granada Province (Spain) using ethnobotanical methods. We document and analyze knowledge concerning wild edible plants and mushrooms and their folk medicinal uses in the study area. Several botanical features and use characteristics have been analyzed for the species included, with special attention to their medicinal uses, highlighting a large number of edible-medicinal species. Local importance of the medicinal uses for these resources has been confirmed. Up to 135 species are gathered from the wild in the study area, from which 46 can be considered folk functional foods. In addition, 45 crop plants with uncommon edible or medicinal uses are included, 29 of these being considered functional foods as well. Therefore, a total of 75 plant species are used as edible medicines which serve to treat 36 different conditions. The local concept of food and medicine regarding wild plant resources seems not to be well established. Studies on the pharmacological properties of these foods are needed in order to establish their real or potential benefits for the treated affections.

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Switching to a 10-day Mediterranean-style diet improves mood and cardiovascular function in a controlled crossover study

Cited by 55 publications

References 25 publications

Effect of a 12-Week Almond-Enriched Diet on Biomarkers of Cognitive Performance, Mood, and Cardiometabolic Health in Older Overweight Adults

Effect of a 12-Week Almond-Enriched Diet on Biomarkers of Cognitive Performance, Mood, and Cardiometabolic Health in Older Overweight Adults

Evaluating Mediterranean diet adherence in university student populations: Does this dietary pattern affect students' academic performance and mental health?

Gathering an edible wild plant: food or medicine? A case study on wild edibles and functional foods in Granada, Spain

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