Researchers at UEA are launching a study to see whether following a Mediterranean diet for just five days could improve people’s mental health.
The team will compare Mediterranean and Western diets - and they are looking for people living in Norfolk with mild to moderate levels of anxiety or depression to take part.
Participants will be provided with set meals for five days and will be monitored for changes in their mood, anxiety levels and brain function.
While Mediterranean and Western diets have often been studied to find their long-term effects on mental health, the short-term effects over the course of the day are almost completely unknown.
The new study will focus on the more immediate effects of what we eat.
The study is led by Prof Anne-Marie Minihane from UEA’s Norwich Medical School and director of the Norwich Institute for Healthy Ageing.
She said: “We know that what we eat plays an important role in mental health and brain function. But understanding how different diets affect this link could open the door for a new solution to mental health problems like anxiety and depression.
“A Mediterranean-style diet is high in olive oil, fish, fruits and vegetables, nuts, and legumes while a Western-style diet is high in processed foods, refined sugar, saturated fat, and salt.
“Research to date has focussed on the long-term effect of nutrition. This will be the first comprehensive study looking at the short-term impact of our diet on concentration, mood, anxiety, cognition and blood flow to the brain.
“We hope to show that changing your diet could provide a relatively quick fix, or at least an improvement, for people suffering poor mood and anxiety on a regular basis.”
The two diets have been designed by experts in nutrition. After taking part in the study for five days, participants will undergo an MRI scan as well as other tests to see how their diet affects their mental health.
Participants will be provided with monetary compensation and expenses, and all the food will be provided.
If you would like to take part in the study, please contact the research team on medimood@uea.ac.uk .
You can also visit their website to learn more about the study
