News Brief by Kathryn Gibb
Nutritional
supplements may be part of new prevention and treatment plans for mental
disorders. A recent article in published
in The Lancet Psychiatry claims that
both diet and nutrition are important determinants of mental health
status. In fact, Dr. Jerome Sarris, a
researcher at the University of Melbourne, claims that nutrition is as
important to one’s mental health as it is to other aspects of physical
health. Certain nutrients such as
omega-3’s, B vitamins, iron, zinc, magnesium, vitamin D have been proven to
have a connection to mental health. Dr.
Sarris states that nutritional supplements may be prescribed in the future to
help manage mental disorders. In
addition, the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research states
that there are other studies that show the connection between consumption of
the aforementioned nutrients and the development of depression or other mental
health disorders during critical life stages.
For example, there is a confirmed relationship between “unhealthy
dietary patterns” and a lower mental health status in adolescents and
children. This is important news for
public health advocates in that promoting a healthier diet could potentially
prevent the development of certain mental disorders.
University of Melbourne. "Diet,
nutrition essential for mental health." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 29
January 2015. .
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