Want to feel less stressed? Try Mediterranean diet, suggests study

While the Mediterranean diet is known for its benefits to both mental health and physical health, little is known about its effect on perceived stress, which is the idea of how much stress you are under at any particular time.

To assess this, Begdache and her students conducted a survey of over 1,500 people, asking them what types of foods they ate and assessing their levels of perceived stress. Using a machine learning model, the results show that consuming components of the Mediterranean diet is associated with lower levels of perceived stress and mental distress, while consuming Western dietary components is correlated with perceived stress and mental distress.

Begdache said that these results close a gap in the literature because the majority of studies on diet and stress focused on how stress affects dietary choices and quality. She and her team are looking at different aspects of brain function and behaviors in relation to dietary patterns.

Reference:

Chowdhury U, Bubis S, Nagorny K, Welch M, Rosenberg L, Begdache L. Effects of Mediterranean and Western dietary patterns on perceived stress and mental distress. Nutrition and Health. 2024;0(0). doi:10.1177/02601060241263375.