Women’s mental health has higher association with dietary factors

Women’s mental health likely has a higher association with dietary factors than men’s, according to new research from Binghamton University.

Lina Begdache, assistant professor of health and wellness studies at Binghamton University, had previously published research on diet and mood that suggests that a high-quality diet improves mental health. She wanted to test whether customization of diet improves mood among men and women ages 30 or older.

Fast food, skipping breakfast, caffeine and high-glycemic (HG) food are all associated with mental distress in mature women,” said Begdache. “Fruits and dark green leafy vegetables (DGLV) are associated with mental well-being. The extra information we learned from this study is that exercise significantly reduced the negative association of HG food and fast food with mental distress,” said Begadache.

The paper, “Customization of Diet May Promote Exercise and Improve Mental Wellbeing in Mature Adults: The Role of Exercise as a Mediator,” was published in the Journal of Personalized Medicine .

Release date: 07 Jun 2021
Source: Binghamton University