Lifestyle medicine: impact of diet on mental health

Abstract

Introduction: There has been an increase in the prevalence of mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, and Brazil, according to the World Health Organization, ranks 3rd in the world in this prevalence. Although these conditions are a dysfunction of brain activity, it has been shown that lifestyle, such as dietary patterns, can contribute to a chronic inflammatory condition that is related to Noncommunicable Chronic Diseases, including mental disorders. It is necessary to investigate whether diet impacts mental health, since knowing this relationship can contribute to health prevention actions for the general population. Objective: To identify whether there is a relationship between diet and mental health, based on the hypotheses of mental disorders. Methodology: Integrative review of the literature, from 2018 to 2023, in the databases: PubMed, Scielo, LILACS and Medline. The terms used were “nutrition”, “lifestyle”, “mental health”. Fifteen articles were included. Results: Healthy dietary patterns play an important role in reducing the risk of depression and controlling its symptoms. These patterns, represented by a predominantly plant-based diet, are associated with a reduced risk of depressive, anxiety, and bipolar disorders. However, a Western diet rich in pro-inflammatory foods corroborates an inflammatory framework that increases the risk of developing these disorders. The mechanisms of action of the diet can influence mental and brain health, including modulation of pathways involved in inflammation, oxidative stress, glutamatergic, monoamines, intestinal microbiota, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus and brain-derived neurotrophic factor, tryptophan-kynurenine metabolism, mitochondrial dysfunction, epigenetics, and obesity. Conclusion: It is observed that nutrition can have an impact on mental health and, therefore, be a considerable protective factor in health care programs in public policies to prevent and treat mental disorders.