Rebecca A. Clay

Can nutrition affect your mental health? A growing research literature suggests the answer could be yes.

Western-style dietary habits, in particular, come under special scrutiny in much of this research.

… And small dietary changes can make a big difference. 

… Such studies are part of the growing evidence base within nutritional psychology, the study of the role that nutrition—whether dietary patterns, broad-based multinutrient supplements or specific vitamins, minerals or other nutrients—plays in the etiology of mental health problems as well as their treatment. Although much of the research is still limited to single-case studies and observational studies—with researchers themselves calling for more rigorous, more expansive research designs and larger, more diverse research samples—it offers tantalizing hints at the potential for new prevention strategies and treatments for people with a wide range of psychological problems.

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