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Nutritional Intervention in Mental Health—2nd Edition

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Clinical Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 March 2026 | Viewed by 719

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Guest Editor
Center for Mental Illness, University Medical Center Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
Interests: nutrition; psychiatry; neurology; child; adolescent
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nutrition supports our bodies with what is needed for growth and development. The bricks of life, represented by macronutrients and micronutrients, not only have effects on growth and functionality, but they also play important roles in the neuropsychiatric development of children and adolescents and maintain functionality in adult daily life. The dietary behavior of neuropsychiatric patients is poorly understood, and it is thought that it may favor the disease rather than the healing process, or vice versa. Patients with mental health problems might need a personalized composition of their daily meals. Special diets might be helpful, with the ketogenic diet for patients with medication for refractory epilepsy providing an important example. The role of the microbiome in the context of neuropsychiatric disorders may also be important, as recent research results have begun to demonstrate. The most recent discoveries made and research carried out in this field will hopefully help patients with neuropsychiatric diseases.

Considering the success of the previous Special Issue, titled "Nutritional Intervention in Mental Health", we are pleased to announce that we are launching a second Special Issue on this topic. The objective of this Special Issue, entitled “Nutritional Intervention in Mental Health—2nd Edition”. This Special Issue will focus on the relationship between nutrition and neuropsychiatric diseases/development as a promising field of research, new discoveries, and nutritional help.

Prof. Dr. Hans-Willi Clement
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • nutrition
  • psychiatry
  • neurology
  • child
  • adolescent
  • adult
  • depression
  • schizophrenia
  • ADHD
  • microbiome
  • epilepsy

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 2970 KiB  
Article
The Acute and Long-Term Benefits of the Oligoantigenic Diet for Children and Adolescents on the Three Symptom Subdomains of ADHD: Inattention, Hyperactivity, and Impulsivity
by Karolin Eder, Katja Schneider-Momm, Tanja Karola Puce, Maja Tobergte, Hans-Willi Clement, Reinhold Rauh, Eberhard Schulz, Monica Biscaldi, Christina Clement and Christian Fleischhaker
Nutrients 2025, 17(11), 1916; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17111916 - 3 Jun 2025
Viewed by 565
Abstract
Background: Based on the multitude of findings, nutrition is becoming increasingly important in the treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. One promising approach is the so-called oligoantigenic diet (OD). This intervention involves avoiding certain foods that often trigger intolerances and allergies. [...] Read more.
Background: Based on the multitude of findings, nutrition is becoming increasingly important in the treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. One promising approach is the so-called oligoantigenic diet (OD). This intervention involves avoiding certain foods that often trigger intolerances and allergies. Previous studies have shown that around 60% of patients experienced a significant reduction in ADHD symptoms after completing such a diet. The aim of the present study was to further confirm the efficacy of the OD within an analysis focusing on the symptom of impulsivity. Materials and Methods: In the present study, the Parent Rating of the Diagnostic System of Mental Disorders in Children and Adolescents (DISYPS-II FBB-ADHD) questionnaire was used to measure the severity of ADHD symptoms. Of 34 children and adolescents (between 7 and 18 years of age) screened and included in this study, 31 participants completed the 4-week OD diet. Results: The corresponding post-diet analysis showed significant short-term improvements for the DISYPS-II FBB-ADHD total score, compared to the start of the diet. This pattern of results also applied to the respective subscales of the DISYPS-II FBB-ADHD questionnaire. A follow-up evaluation conducted 3.5 years after the intervention with 21 participants suggested that the improvements in ADHD symptoms were maintained over time. Specifically, 66.7% of the participants continued to meet the responder criterion, with particularly notable and lasting reductions in impulsivity. Discussion: These results suggest that the beneficial effects of the oligoantigenic diet followed by identifying and avoiding individual intolerant foods may persist long term, and participants’ dietary habits may have also evolved over the years. Conclusion: The oligoantigenic diet may have long-term therapeutic potential for reducing ADHD symptoms, especially impulsivity, in children and adolescents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Intervention in Mental Health—2nd Edition)
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