In a recent study published in the journal Nature Mental Health, researchers investigated the brain health of individuals who follow four distinct dietary types including starch-free, vegetarian, high-protein-low-fiber, and balanced.
The study obtained food-liking data from a total of 181,990 participants who completed a food-liking questionnaire. The mean age of the participants was 70.7 years, and about half participants were female. The study included measures of anxiety, depressive symptoms, mental distress, psychotic experiences, self-harm, trauma, and well-being as indicators of brain health.
Results and discussion
Four distinct food-liking subtypes were identified among the studied participants: (1) starch-free or low-starch pattern (18.09%), (2) vegetarian pattern (5.54%), (3) high protein and low fiber pattern (19.39%), and (4) balanced pattern (56.98%).
Researchers found that individuals in the balanced diet subtype showed better cognitive functions and mental health than the others.
The balanced diet subtype showed the lowest measures for mental health issues and the highest scores for overall well-being and cognitive functions, indicating improved brain health and cognition than the other subtypes.
On the other hand, subtypes 2 and 3 showed lower scores in well-being and higher scores in mental health issues.
Compared to subtype 4, subtype 3 exhibited reduced gray matter volumes in regions like the postcentral gyrus, indicating potential neurological differences. In contrast, subtype 2 displayed increased volumes in the thalamus and precuneus.
Sixteen genes were found to differ between subtype 3 and subtype 4, and they were associated with biological processes linked to mental health and cognition.
Further, subtype 3 showed differences in 127 biomarkers and 1,266 single nucleotide polymorphisms as compared to subtype 4.
This large-scale study provides pioneering insights into the intricate relationship between food preferences and brain health, cognition, and mental well-being, offering the potential for targeted interventions and educational practices to promote overall health. However, the study is limited by its reliance on food-liking data rather than actual consumption, potential selection bias in the sample, potential oversimplification of mental health assessment measures, and an incomplete consideration of key dietary components like tryptophan and omega-3/6 fatty acids.
Conclusion
Emphasizing the importance of balanced diets, the findings call for early-age dietary education to promote long-term brain health. Further research is urged to explore the long-term associations between dietary patterns and brain health across various age groups.
The study titled "Associations of Dietary Patterns with Brain Health From Behavioral, Neuroimaging, Biochemical and Genetic Analyses" can be found in the journal Nature Mental Health.
