9 Nutrients Which Should Be In Your Diet for Good Mental Health - ... http://www.spring.org.uk/2015/02/9-nutrients-which-should-be-in-your...

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Nine nutrients that play a vital role in mental health.

Despite consuming more calories than ever, many people do not get their recommended intake of brain-essential nutrients, a new
study reports.

Doctors, nutritionists, psychologists, psychiatrists and others all question the lack of attention paid to nutrition in mental health, in
the review, published in The Lancet Psychiatry (Sarris et al., 2015).

Studies have shown clear links between the following nine nutrients (among others) and brain health:

1. omega-3s,
2. B vitamins (particularly folate and B12),
3. choline,
4. iron,
5. zinc,
6. magnesium,
7. S-adenosyl methionine (SAMe),
8. vitamin D,
9. and amino acids.

Dr Jerome Sarris, the studys first author, said:

While the determinants of mental health are complex, the emerging and compelling evidence for nutrition as a key

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factor in the high prevalence and incidence of mental disorders suggests that nutrition is as important to psychiatry as it
is to cardiology, endocrinology and gastroenterology.

The study explains the best way of getting the required nutrients:

A traditional whole-food diet, consisting of higher intakes of foods such as vegetables, fruits, seafood, whole grains,
lean meat, nuts, and legumes, with avoidance of processed foods, is more likely to provide the nutrients that afford
resiliency against the pathogenesis of mental disorders.

Nevertheless, says Dr Sarris, nutritional supplements can be beneficial:

While we advocate for these [nutrients] to be consumed in the diet where possible, additional select prescription of
these as nutraceuticals (nutrient supplements) may also be justified,

Multiple studies now show the link between poor nutrition and the increased risk of depression and other mental health problems.

Dr Felice Jacka, one of the studys co-authors, said:

Maternal and early-life nutrition is also emerging as a factor in mental health outcomes in children, while severe
deficiencies in some essential nutrients during critical developmental periods have long been implicated in the
development of both depressive and psychotic disorders.

Dr Sarris concluded:

It is time for clinicians to consider diet and additional nutrients as part of the treating package to manage the enormous
burden of mental ill health.

Nutrients image from Shutterstock

The latest posts from HealthiestBlog.com, the new blog from PsyBlog's author:

When You Eat Just As Important As What You Eat Mon, Mar 16, 2015
Sitting Disease: More Deadly Than Smoking or Cancer? Fri, Mar 13, 2015

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Dr Jeremy Dean is a psychologist and the author of PsyBlog and HealthiestBlog.com. His latest book is "Making Habits, Breaking
Habits: How to Make Changes That Stick". You can follow PsyBlog by email, by RSS feed, on Twitter and Google+.

Published: 6 February 2015

Text: All rights reserved.

Images: Creative Commons License

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