A recently published study Nutritional Neuroscience found that people who follow a healthy diet are less likely to suffer from anxiety disorders, while those who follow a more Western or mixed diet may face greater anxiety severity.
Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health problems worldwide, affecting nearly one in five people each year. Despite the widespread use of treatments such as therapy and medication, many people continue to struggle with anxiety, which can seriously affect their quality of life. This has led researchers to explore alternative or complementary ways to manage anxiety, including dietary changes.
Previous studies often focused on specific nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids or vitamin D, but these studies produced inconsistent results. More recently, researchers have turned their attention to broader dietary patterns, which may provide a deeper understanding of how food choices affect mental health.
In particular, the researchers wanted to investigate how different diets might affect anxiety disorders rather than general mental health. They were also interested in exploring these influences in the context of a diverse cultural background, in this case Iran, which has a rich and varied culinary tradition.
To conduct the study, the researchers used a case-control design that involved comparing two groups of people: people with anxiety disorders and those without. The study took place in Tehran, Iran between 2021 and 2022 and included 255 participants – 85 people with diagnosed anxiety disorders and 170 healthy people.
Participants in the anxiety group were diagnosed by psychiatrists according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), a widely used diagnostic guide for mental health conditions. Their anxiety severity was measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) questionnaire, which assesses the intensity of anxiety symptoms.
The researchers collected detailed information about each participant’s diet using a food frequency questionnaire specifically designed for the Iranian population. In this questionnaire, participants were asked to recall how often they consumed 147 different types of food during the past year. Based on this data, the researchers used a statistical method called principal component analysis to identify three main dietary patterns among the participants: a “healthy” pattern, a “Western” pattern, and a “mixed” pattern.
A healthy pattern was characterized by high consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and low-fat dairy products. The Western pattern included foods such as red and processed meat, sugary snacks, fast food, and refined grains. The mixed pattern contained elements of both the healthy and western patterns, reflecting a more varied diet that combined aspects of both.
Researchers found that people who followed healthy eating habits were less likely to suffer from anxiety disorders. In other words, as adherence to a healthy diet increased, the likelihood of developing an anxiety disorder decreased. In fact, those who followed this healthy diet the most were about 74% less likely to develop an anxiety disorder compared to those who did not follow this pattern.
The researchers also looked at the severity of anxiety. Following a healthy diet was associated with lower anxiety scores on the GAD-7 questionnaire, meaning that those who ate more healthily experienced less intense anxiety symptoms. On the other hand, greater adherence to Western and mixed diets was associated with higher anxiety severity, indicating that these diets may exacerbate anxiety symptoms.
The researchers controlled for a variety of factors, including age, gender, energy intake, marital status, education, medication use, vitamin supplement use, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, health status, past medical history, and body mass index. the specific effect of dietary habits on anxiety disorder.
However, as with all research, there are limitations. The design of the study – specifically its reliance on self-reported data – can lead to bias. Participants may not remember their eating habits accurately, or they may report them in a way they feel is more favorable. Furthermore, the study only shows a link between diet and anxiety; it does not prove that one causes the other. It is possible that people with anxiety may change their eating habits because of their condition, not because of their diet.
Kimia Torabynasab, Hossein Shahinfar, Sheida Zeraattalab-Motlagh, Shima Jazayeri, Mohammad Effatpanah and Leila Azadbakht are the authors of the study, “Association of Major Dietary Habits with the Likelihood and Severity of Anxiety Disorders: A Case-Control Study.”
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