The Impact of diet on mental health

1. Sandrine Thuret, PhD INSTITUTE OF PSYCHIATRY,
PSYCHOLOGY & NEUROSCIENCE
B a s i c a n d C l i n i c a l
N e u r o s c i e n c e
Cells &
Behaviour Unit
The Impact of Diet on
Mental Health
Friday 27th of May 2016
Corporate Wellness and Benefits Summit

2. Physical
Health
Cardiovascular
Diseases
Weight
Management
Diabetes
Impact of Diet
WHAT
WE EAT
Mental
Health
Mood
Depression
Cognitive
decline
Learning
& memory
Abilities
WHAT
WHEN
HOW MUCH
WE EAT

3. Diet, cognition and mood
WHAT
WHEN
HOW MUCH
WE EAT? ?

4. RESVERATROLVITAMIN E DEFICIENCY HIGH SUGAR
HIGH SATURATED FAT
CALORIE RESTRICTION VITAMIN B DEFFICIENCY
SOFT DIET VITAMIN A DEFFICIENCY BLUEBERRIES
FLAVONOIDSZINCFOLIC ACID CURCURMIN
CAFFEINE INTERMITTENT FASTINGETHANOL
OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS

5. • Omega-3 fatty acids are Polyunsaturated essential fatty
acids: The body cannot make them -- you have to get
them through food.
• They are a component of the brain.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids

6. Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Not all equal
eicosapentaenoic acid
(20:5, n−3; EPA)
docosahexaenoic acid
(22:6, n−3; DHA)
MentalHealthEffects
Cold water fish
such as salmon,
mackerel,
sardines, herring…
α-linolenic acid
(18:3, n−3; ALA)
Flaxseeds,
soybeans,
pumpkin seeds,
walnuts…

7. Omega-3- Fatty Acids and Cognition
• Low intake of Ω-3 FA is associated with cognitive decline in elderly.
• Whereas a diet rich in Ω-3 FA is associated with the prevention of cognitive
decline.
• Rodents with Ω-3 FA deficiency showed impaired performance in spatial
memory tasks- which could be rectified after supplementation.
Freemantle et al. 2006; van Gelder et al. 2007; Fedorova & Salem, 2006

8. • Ω-3 FA serum concentrations are 20% lower in patients with depression
• Fluoxetine (Prozac) and EPA appear to be equally effective in controlling
depressive symptoms in major depression (1g EPA = 20 mg fluoxetine for 8
weeks)
Omega-3- Fatty Acids and Mood
!
Logan et al., 2004; Jazayeri et al., 2008; Lin et al. 2012

9. 1g=1000mg
of EPA/DHA
per day
1 serving (85g) of salmon or sardines/day
OR 3 servings (255g) of tuna or cod or pollock/day
(OR 10 eggs/day – or 3kg of beef!)
Omega-3 Fatty Acids

10. RESVERATROLVITAMIN E DEFICIENCY HIGH SUGAR
OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS HIGH SATURATED FAT
VITAMIN B DEFFICIENCY
SOFT DIET VITAMIN A DEFFICIENCY BLUEBERRIES
FLAVONOIDSZINCFOLIC ACID CURCURMIN
CAFFEINE
ETHANOL
CALORIE RESTRICTION
INTERMITTENT FASTING

11. Dietary/Energy Restriction: Well-known physical health benefits
Review in Mattson, 2001, 2008, 2012
Overweight
participants
under CR
(over 400
studies)
Reduction
of Type-2
diabetes
risk factors
Improvement
of the immune
system
Diminution of
cardiovascul
ar diseases
risk
Animal
Models
under CR
or IF
Increase
lifespan
Non-
Overweight
participants
under CR
(Calerie study,
Witte et al.
2009) and IF
(Vallejo study)
Diminution of
hospital
admission
(50%)
Review in Redman et al., 2008

12. Decrease
Concern
about body
size and
shape
(Human)
Improved
Verbal
memory
(Human)
Animal
Models
under CR
or IF
Diminution of
depressive
symptoms
Review in Zainuddin and Thuret, 2012, Murphy and Thuret, 2015
Dietary/Energy Restriction: Mental Health Benefits
Improved
Spatial
learning
and
memory
(Mice)
Overweight
participants
under CR
Non-
Overweight
participants
under CR
(Calerie study,
Witte et al.
2009) and IF
(Vallejo study)

13. Witte et al., 2009
50 healthy participants aged between 50 and 80,
BMI between 21 and 25.
Calorie Restriction with a daily reduction of 30% for 3
months + Control Group (no change in diet)
CR
+30%
Control
Dietary/Energy Restriction: Mental Health Benefits

14. WHAT
WHEN
HOW MUCH
WE EAT? ?
Diet, cognition and mood

15. Hippocampus, cognition and mood

16. Diet, Hippocampus, cognition and mood
WHAT
WHEN
HOW MUCH
WE EAT

17. Hippocampus: Neurogenesis: birth of new nerve cells

18. RESVERATROLVITAMIN E DEFICIENCY HIGH SUGAR
OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS HIGH SATURATED FAT
CALORIE RESTRICTION VITAMIN B DEFFICIENCY
SOFT DIET VITAMIN A DEFFICIENCY BLUEBERRIES
FLAVONOIDSZINCFOLIC ACID CURCURMIN
CAFFEINE INTERMITTENT FASTINGETHANOL

19. WHAT
WHEN
HOW MUCH
WE EAT
NEURO
GENESIS
Diet, Hippocampal NEUROGENESIS, cognition and mood

20. Impact: Present and Future Health
“An integrated approach, recognising the interplay of biological, psychological,
social and environmental factors is key to challenging the growing burden of
mental ill-health in western nations. Diet is a cornerstone of this integrated
approach. The time is now right for nutrition to become a mainstream, everyday
component of mental health care, and a regular factor in mental health
promotion.”
Dr Andrew McCulloch
Former Chief Executive The Mental Health Foundation

22. Nutrient Amount used in Human
studies
Food rich in Nutrient Serving equivalent
Flavonoids 100 to 800 mg flavanols/day Cocoa (2.5mg/g)
Citrus fruits, berries Tea, Wine
Flavonoids constitute about
25% of the dry weight of fresh
tea leaf- 200-ml cup of tea, the
mean total content of flavonoids
is 266.68 mg for green tea, and
233.12 mg for black tea
Citrus fruits
40g to 160g of 99% dark
chocolate/day
OR
80g to 320g of 50% dark/milk
chocolate/day
OR 1 to 3 cup of tea/day
Blueberries 500ml fresh wild blueberry juice/day 600g of fresh blueberries/day
Curcumin 500mg to 3g/day of curcumin powder Tumeric powder Eating one curry dish/day!
Zinc Recommended daily intake:
8 to 11 mg/day
Oysters, Red meats, liver,
nuts…
1 oyster OR
8 table spoon of wheat germs
OR 1 cup of peanuts or 100g of
beef
Caffeine <100mg beneficial
>500mg detrimental
coffee One espresso: 51mg
(Starbucks)
157mg (Costas)
Vitamin E 15mg/day Seed/nut oil, nuts 4 teaspoons of sunflower oil OR
100g of almonds OR 1kg of
spinach OR 1.5kg of mango
Vitamin A Recommended daily intake:
700 to 900 μg/day (no more than
3000μg/day)
Cod liver oil, Carrots, Butter,
Spinach…
1/3 of a tea spoon of cod liver
oil
Or 100g of carrots