The relationship between the nature of nutrition and the development of mental disorders in adolescents
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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Adolescents who eat "food junk", more often have problems with mental health, say scientists from the University of Deakin (Australia).
In the study, which was conducted from 2005 to 2007, food habits and mental health of 3 thousand Australian teenagers aged 11-18 years were analyzed. Scientists have found a close relationship between the nature of nutrition and mental health of boys: the more correct food was in 2005, the better was mental health in 2007, and this relationship persisted with smoking, weight and socioeconomic status.
Feedback, that is, changes in diet due to mental health problems, has not been proven.
Adolescents who managed to regulate their nutrition for the better, showed improvement in their mental health. And those who began to eat worse, were diagnosed with various mental disorders, including depressive disorders. This study emphasizes that these changes in mental status have nothing to do with the change in weight or level of physical activity of participants.
The results of the research show that some cases of depression in adolescents can be prevented by controlling the nutrition in children.