Effects of Mediterranean and Western Dietary Patterns on Mental Distress and Perceived Stress

Compared to the Western diet, the Mediterranean diet has many known health benefits. To assess how the dietary components of each diet affect mental wellbeing, an anonymous online survey targeting those 18 and older was distributed via social media and email. This survey included demographic questions and the validated Food-Mood Questionnaire, which asked participants to rate how often they consumed various foods that constitute both diets, such as whole grains, fish, fast food, and meat. It also included questions that evaluated their perceived stress and mental distress through the Perceived Stress and the Kessler-6 scales. A total of 1591 participants completed the survey. The data was analyzed using Spearman’s Rho correlation and Principal Component Analysis in SPSS version 25.0. The results showed significant negative correlations between mental distress and perceived stress with several components of the Mediterranean diet, such as whole grains, seafood, and beans. Meat was also found to be negatively correlated with mental distress and perceived stress. However, significant positive correlations between mental distress, perceived stress and the Western diet such as fast food and high glycemic index food were found. This suggests that incorporating components of the Mediterranean diet is beneficial for mental wellbeing.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2022/1081/thumbnail.jp

The Relationship Between Components of the Vegetarian Diet and Perceived Stress and Mental Distress

Recent evidence suggests that dietary patterns have an impact on mental health. However, little is known about how dietary patterns may impact the stress response. The purpose of this study was to investigate how components of a vegetarian diet relate to stress and mental distress. An anonymous survey was distributed primarily through social media targeting participants from diverse backgrounds. This study analyzed a total of 585 responses from adults 18 years old or older. Spearman’s rho correlation and principal component analysis were used to assess how dietary patterns and consumption of various foods and food groups relate to perceived stress and mental distress levels. The data was analyzed in SPSS version 25.0. Our results reveal a negative correlation between stress and whole grains (⍴= -0.103), dark green leafy vegetables (⍴= -0.154), and beans (⍴= -0.102). Mental distress was a negatively correlated with whole grains (⍴= -.147), nuts and flaxseed (⍴= -0.116), dark green leafy vegetables (⍴= -0.153), yogurt (⍴= -0.084), eggs (⍴= -0.108) and raw oats (⍴= -.101). These results indicate that multiple components of the vegetarian diet are inversely associated with stress, which explains the negative association with mental distress. Our results suggest that vegetarian items improve the stress response, which eventually improves mental health.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1101/thumbnail.jp