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A good diet is essential to take care of your physical and mental health. There is also a specific diet, which would improve one’s mood and general well-being, according to English scientists. Do you know which one?
Taking care of your health through a good diet is essential. By eating a balanced diet, you take care of your physical health but also your mental health. And according to a British study, a diet would be particularly beneficial for your mental health.
The ketogenic diet affects mood, depression and unhappiness
Experts from Northumbria University in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne looked particularly at the ketogenic diet, which is characterized by a high fat, moderate protein and low carbohydrate intake.
For this study, researchers were interested in the impact of the ketogenic diet on five factors in particular:
- Mood;
- Cognitive and emotional stress;
- The Depression ;
- Symptoms of anxiety;
- The feeling of loneliness.
The researchers brought together two cohorts, in 2021 and 2022, with 147 and 276 participants respectively. They administered online questionnaires and compared the self-reported mental health outcomes of individuals on a ketogenic diet with those following other diets.
NO to diets, YES to WW!
A possible action on neurotransmitters
Participants followed the ketogenic diet for an average of 24 months in the first cohort and 44 months in the second. A total of 220 participants adhered to a ketogenic diet in both cohorts. Both cohorts reported better psychological well-being among ketogenic diet followers, including:
- Better mood;
- A reduction in anxiety and depression;
- And fewer feelings of stress and loneliness.
The study authors noted that, contrary to previous research, longer adherence to the ketogenic diet correlated with better mood.
Interviewed by Medical News Today, psychiatrist Jasmine Sawhne explains that these results are linked to the fact that the ketogenic diet “pmay increase levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), promoting calm and relaxation similar to the effects of benzodiazepines“.
“The ketogenic diet may also influence neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, which regulate mood and the gut microbiome but also affect behavior and stress response.” she concluded, emphasizing, however, the need for future, more precise studies, including biological markers in addition to the data collected from participants.
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