Poor Diet Linked to Depression

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June 5, 2024 – A new study reveals that a poor quality diet may lead to brain changes associated with depression and anxiety. Researchers found that unhealthy eating habits reduce grey matter and alter neurotransmitter levels in the brain. They also found these changes are associated with rumination, a part of the diagnostic criteria for conditions affecting mental health.

This research was carried out by the University of Reading, Roehampton University, FrieslandCampina (Netherlands), and Kings College London, and is published in Nutritional Neuroscience.

When someone eats a poor quality diet, there is reduced gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) and elevated glutamate – both neurotransmitters, along with reduced grey matter volume – in the frontal area of their brain. This could explain the association between what we eat, and how we feel.

Dr Piril Hepsomali, University of Reading, said: “We can eat ourselves well! Ultimately, we see that people who have an unhealthy diet – high in sugar and saturated fat – have imbalanced excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission, as well as reduced volume of grey matter in the frontal part of the brain.