The Mediterranean diet is characterized by vegetables, fruits, nuts, seafood, and whole grains. Meanwhile, the modern Western diet is characterized by high quantities of high-glycemic and low-quality processed foods.
Much is known about the benefits of the Mediterranean diet for mental and physical health. Little, however, is known about its effects on perceived stress. In the current study, researchers thus sought to investigate how the diet affects perceived stress levels. To do so, they analyzed survey data from 1591 participants. Data included types of foods consumed and levels of perceived stress.
Ultimately, the researchers found that several components of the Mediterranean diet such as whole grains, seafood, fruits, vegetables, and beans were linked to significantly lower levels of perceived stress and mental distress.
“Stress is recognized to be a precursor to mental distress, and research, including our own, has demonstrated that the Mediterranean diet lowers mental distress,” said study author Lina Begdache, associate professor of health and wellness studies at Binghamton University.
“Thus, one element of the puzzle may be explained by the fact that the Mediterranean diet may be associated with a decrease in the negative components of perceived stress and an improvement in its positive attributes.”
They further found significant positive correlations between perceived stress and mental distress, and aspects of the Western diet such as high glycemic index food and fast food. However, although meat is linked to the Western diet, they found that its consumption was linked to less stress and distress.
“Our findings provide evidence that dietary patterns modulate the stress response and suggest that incorporating components of the Mediterranean diet is beneficial for mental wellbeing and stress reduction,” concluded the researchers in their study.
Sources: Neuroscience News, Nutrition and Health