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Nutrients
Special Issues
Diet, Inflammation and Mental Health
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Diet, Inflammation and Mental Health

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 August 2024 | Viewed by 11515

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Silke Matura

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dept. of Psychiatry, University Hospital Frankfurt/Main, Heinrich-Hoffmann Str. 10, 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Interests: effects of diet and physical activity on mental health; ecological momentary assessment to capture real-life data; interplay between the gut microbiome and the brain; leveraging omics for precision medicine in psychiatry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There is growing evidence that various types of mental disorders are associated with the increased expression of inflammatory proteins and/or cells. For instance, in depressive disorders chronic low-grade inflammation has been repeatedly found and is believed to contribute to some of the biological mechanisms associated with disease onset and treatment response. In recent years gut microbiota have received much attention for their role in mediating inflammatory processes. Since gut microbiota are crucial for the bidirectional communication between the brain and the periphery, the interplay between gut microbiota, inflammation, and mental health has become an increasingly important research topic. Dietary patterns have a direct effect on the gut microbiome. Findings from prior studies have demonstrated that several proinflammatory dietary components (e.g., fats and carbohydrates) are associated with an increased risk of poor health conditions, while other anti-inflammatory nutrients (e.g., fiber) may have protective effects on health conditions. Moreover, a number of studies have explored the potential of dietary interventions, such as pre-, pro-, and synbiotics, to tamper down inflammation. This Special Issue will feature the latest findings on the link between diet, inflammation, and mental health.

Dr. Silke Matura
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • inflammation
  • mental health
  • diet
  • gut microbiome
  • gut–brain axis
  • inflammatory index
  • short-chain fatty acids
  • dietary interventions
  • synbiotics
  • prebiotics
  • probiotics

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 806 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Link between Lifestyle, Inflammation, and Insulin Resistance through an Improved Healthy Living Index
by Franz Bruckner, Judith R. Gruber, Alea Ruf, Sharmili Edwin Thanarajah, Andreas Reif and Silke Matura
Nutrients 2024, 16(3), 388; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16030388 - 29 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1226
Abstract
Lifestyle factors—such as diet, physical activity (PA), smoking, and alcohol consumption—have a significant impact on mortality as well as healthcare costs. Moreover, they play a crucial role in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2). There also seems to be a link [...] Read more.
Lifestyle factors—such as diet, physical activity (PA), smoking, and alcohol consumption—have a significant impact on mortality as well as healthcare costs. Moreover, they play a crucial role in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2). There also seems to be a link between lifestyle behaviours and insulin resistance, which is often a precursor of DM2. This study uses an enhanced Healthy Living Index (HLI) integrating accelerometric data and an Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) to explore differences in lifestyle between insulin-sensitive (IS) and insulin-resistant (IR) individuals. Moreover, it explores the association between lifestyle behaviours and inflammation. Analysing data from 99 participants of the mPRIME study (57 women and 42 men; mean age 49.8 years), we calculated HLI scores—ranging from 0 to 4— based on adherence to specific low-risk lifestyle behaviours, including non-smoking, adhering to a healthy diet, maximally moderate alcohol consumption, and meeting World Health Organization (WHO) PA guidelines. Insulin sensitivity was assessed using a Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were used as a proxy for inflammation. Lifestyle behaviours, represented by HLI scores, were significantly different between IS and IR individuals (U = 1529.0; p = 0.023). The difference in the HLI score between IR and IS individuals was mainly driven by lower adherence to PA recommendations in the IR group. Moreover, reduced PA was linked to increased CRP levels in the IR group (r = −0.368, p = 0.014). Our findings suggest that enhancing PA, especially among individuals with impaired insulin resistance, holds significant promise as a preventive strategy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Inflammation and Mental Health)
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11 pages, 280 KiB  
Article
Mental Health Component Scale Is Positively Associated with Riboflavin Intake in People with Central Obesity
by Charalampia Amerikanou, Aristea Gioxari, Stamatia-Angeliki Kleftaki, Evdokia Valsamidou, Antonia Zeaki and Andriana C. Kaliora
Nutrients 2023, 15(20), 4464; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15204464 - 21 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1344
Abstract
Micronutrient deficiencies are a well-established fact in obesity. However, few studies exist on the relationship between micronutrient intake and mental health. In this study, we investigated the associations between daily intakes of vitamins and minerals and scoring items that measure mental health in [...] Read more.
Micronutrient deficiencies are a well-established fact in obesity. However, few studies exist on the relationship between micronutrient intake and mental health. In this study, we investigated the associations between daily intakes of vitamins and minerals and scoring items that measure mental health in people living with central obesity. One hundred males and females with central obesity and metabolic abnormalities were included in the study. Demographic, clinical, anthropometric, and biochemical data were collected. Mental health statuses were assessed with validated questionnaires, and daily micronutrient intakes were assessed with food diaries and Nutritionist ProTM software v7.9. The mental component score (MCS-12) positively correlated with vitamin A (Rho = 0.249, p = 0.038), vitamin C (Rho = 0.293, p = 0.014), riboflavin (Rho = 0.264, p = 0.026), and folate (Rho = 0.238, p = 0.046). Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) correlated with sodium (Rho = 0.269, p = 0.026), and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Revised (CESD-R) correlated with chromium (Rho = 0.313, p = 0.009). In the regression analysis, after potential confounders were adjusted for, only riboflavin was positively associated with the MCS-12 log (beta ± SD = 0.047 ± 0.023, p = 0.044). Our study provides evidence of the link between dietary riboflavin and mental health in people with obesity, and it highlights the importance of monitoring both nutritional status and mental health when managing obesity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Inflammation and Mental Health)
15 pages, 1182 KiB  
Article
Association between Depressive Symptoms and Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Nursing Students
by Vanessa Ibáñez-del Valle, Rut Navarro-Martínez and Omar Cauli
Nutrients 2023, 15(14), 3158; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15143158 - 15 Jul 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1969
Abstract
With university admission, there are major changes in students’ daily habits that can lead to mental health problems. In this respect, adherence to a healthy diet, such as the Mediterranean diet (MD), can be very beneficial. The present study examines the associations between [...] Read more.
With university admission, there are major changes in students’ daily habits that can lead to mental health problems. In this respect, adherence to a healthy diet, such as the Mediterranean diet (MD), can be very beneficial. The present study examines the associations between adherence to the MD and mental health among Spanish nursing students (n = 289). Sociodemographic data and life habits were collected electronically using a self-administered questionnaire. The participants also completed the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS-14) and the Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale (GADS). The percentage of anxiety and depression symptoms was high: 45.3% (n = 131) and 46.4% (n = 134), respectively. Only 35.6% reported good adherence to the MD (score ≥ 9). The statistical analysis showed poor adherence to the MD to be significantly and positively associated with depressive symptoms (p = 0.013) and the total score on the GADS (p = 0.039). A multivariable regression model analysis identified the depression subscale score as a predictor variable, with a mean risk of low adherence to the MD being 0.803 times (95%CI: 0.666–0.968, p = 0.021) among participants with greater depressive symptoms. These results support the implementation of prevention programs in universities focused on health and mental health issues. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Inflammation and Mental Health)
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Review

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24 pages, 810 KiB  
Review
A Microbial-Based Approach to Mental Health: The Potential of Probiotics in the Treatment of Depression
by Dinyadarshini Johnson, Vengadesh Letchumanan, Chern Choong Thum, Sivakumar Thurairajasingam and Learn-Han Lee
Nutrients 2023, 15(6), 1382; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15061382 - 13 Mar 2023
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 6385
Abstract
Probiotics are currently the subject of intensive research pursuits and also represent a multi-billion-dollar global industry given their vast potential to improve human health. In addition, mental health represents a key domain of healthcare, which currently has limited, adverse-effect prone treatment options, and [...] Read more.
Probiotics are currently the subject of intensive research pursuits and also represent a multi-billion-dollar global industry given their vast potential to improve human health. In addition, mental health represents a key domain of healthcare, which currently has limited, adverse-effect prone treatment options, and probiotics may hold the potential to be a novel, customizable treatment for depression. Clinical depression is a common, potentially debilitating condition that may be amenable to a precision psychiatry-based approach utilizing probiotics. Although our understanding has not yet reached a sufficient level, this could be a therapeutic approach that can be tailored for specific individuals with their own unique set of characteristics and health issues. Scientifically, the use of probiotics as a treatment for depression has a valid basis rooted in the microbiota-gut-brain axis (MGBA) mechanisms, which play a role in the pathophysiology of depression. In theory, probiotics appear to be ideal as adjunct therapeutics for major depressive disorder (MDD) and as stand-alone therapeutics for mild MDD and may potentially revolutionize the treatment of depressive disorders. Although there is a wide range of probiotics and an almost limitless range of therapeutic combinations, this review aims to narrow the focus to the most widely commercialized and studied strains, namely Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, and to bring together the arguments for their usage in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Clinicians, scientists, and industrialists are critical stakeholders in exploring this groundbreaking concept. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Inflammation and Mental Health)
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