Effects of Dietary Choices on Anxiety and Depression

Anxiety is commonly defined as a set of emotions including nervousness, restlessness or being fidgety. Depression is commonly defined as a state of unhappiness, hopelessness, worthlessness and a sense of futility. Previous research reported a positive relationship between the consumption of energy drinks, dairy and anxiety. On the other hand, other studies revealed a negative relationship between the consumption of fruit and anxiety. In addition, there is an established negative relationship between exercise, fish consumption and depression. However, there is a need to assess dietary patterns in relation to mental distress as nutrients collectively contribute to brain chemistry . An anonymous online survey was built-into on Google Form and distributed on several social media platforms. A total of 2,301 participants completed the survey. Data was analyzed using K-means clustering analysis , in SPSS Version 25.0, to identify clusters of food groups that associate with mental distress. Our results suggest that a dietary pattern similar to the Mediterranean diet (high consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes and fish) was inversely related to instances of anxiety and depression. In conclusion, dietary adjustments may be needed to improve mental wellbeing.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_spring2020/1053/thumbnail.jp