Mediterranean anti-stress diet, reduces mental distress

The Mediterranean diet? An anti-stress that reduces mental distress. An American study published in ‘Nutrition and Health’ adds a new entry to the long list of known benefits associated with the most celebrated dietary model by science and elected by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. A team of researchers from Binghamton University, State University of New York investigated the reasons why the Mediterranean diet is good not only for the body, but also for the psyche, discovering that it reduces levels of perceived stress.

“Stress is recognized as a precursor to mental distress,” says Lina Begdache, professor of health and wellness studies and coordinator of the team that signed the paper. “Research, including ours, has shown that the Mediterranean diet reduces mental distress,” and the new study has revealed “a piece of the puzzle” that contributes to this virtue: “The Mediterranean diet may be associated with a decrease in the negative components of perceived stress and an amplification of its positive aspects.” Scientists compared the Mediterranean diet with the so-called Western diet. The former is plant-based, rich in healthy fats and healthy foods colored by Mother Nature’s wide ‘palette’; the latter is made of processed foods, with a high glycemic index and of low quality, the authors recall.

“While the Mediterranean diet is known for its benefits on both physical and mental health – the researchers explain – little is known about its effects on the perception of stress, that is, the idea that a person has of how much stress he or she is enduring at a given moment”. To fill this gap, Begdache and his students conducted a survey of more than 1,500 people, asking them what types of foods they ate and assessing their levels of perceived stress. Using a machine learning model, they concluded that “the consumption of components of the Mediterranean diet is associated with lower levels of perceived stress and mental distress, while the consumption of components of the Western diet is related to perceived stress and mental distress”. The research of the US group continues. Next goal: to understand how different dietary patterns influence brain function and behaviors.