As nutritional and psychological sciences advance, the evidence grows that diet is not only vital for physical health but also plays a significant role in mental wellbeing. While the burgeoning field of Nutritional Psychiatry shows correlations between not only what we eat and how we feel and behave, there is still so much to explore.
Nutritional Psychiatry has gained global recognition in the past decade, offering much promise for addressing mental health disorders through alternative treatment options. Mental health is nuanced and involves complexities that extend beyond the food we eat. But Nutritional Psychiatry, an implementation science at its core, allows us to translate evidence into individual care, clinical practice, food systems, and policies to support mental health for all.
It is now well regarded that diet is not limited to physical health outcomes alone– what we eat can directly influence brain function and emotional wellbeing, and even small dietary improvements may lead to meaningful changes in mental health says Dr Wolfgang Marx.
Dr Marx is a Senior Research Fellow and Deputy Director of Deakin University’s Food & Mood Centre, where he leads several major projects in Nutritional Psychiatry. As an Accredited Dietitian with a background in clinical dietetics, Dr Marx saw firsthand how nutrition could profoundly impact health, and yet it was rarely integrated into mental health care.
“That disconnect drove me to pursue research, aiming to generate high quality evidence to support the role of diet in preventing and treating mental disorders,” said Dr Marx.
A dietitian is a professional who applies the science of food and nutrition to promote health, prevent and treat disease to optimise the health of individuals, groups, communities and populations [1].
Dietitians work across many aspects related to the profession, including research, as they endeavor to investigate the links between nutrition and human health and how we can promote good health and prevent disease.
A world leading multidisciplinary research hub, the Food & Mood Centre aims to understand the complex ways in which what we eat influences our brain, mood, and mental health.
From microbiology to public health, research conducted out of the Food & Mood Centre has shown that poor quality diets are associated with increased risk of mental illness. While healthier dietary patterns can support both prevention and treatment, particularly for common conditions like depression, said Director of the Food & Mood Academy and Senior Research Fellow at the Food & Mood Centre, Dr Tetyana Rocks.
Dr Rocks, an Accredited Practising Dietitian, has always been fascinated by food – its cultural significance, impact on health, and role in shaping human experience. It was early on in Dr Rocks’ studies that she developed an interest in influencing education, policy and practice through evidence that ultimately urged her towards a dietetic career based in research.
“I saw a great opportunity to empower people to support their mental health through diet. It is something both accessible and deeply personal. This area brings together my passions for food, mental health, education, equity and humanity,” said Dr Rocks.
With backgrounds in dietetics, both Dr Marx and Dr Rocks bring extensive clinical, evidence-based knowledge of diet, nutrition, and food related behaviour to the Food & Mood Centre research team led by Founder and Director, Professor Felice Jacka OAM.
The SMILES trial, led by Professor Jacka, marked a personal turning point for Dr Rocks, demonstrating that dietary interventions can significantly improve symptoms of depression.
“Since then, we have seen great growth in clinical trials, mechanisms related studies, and education. My own work has led to free online education for individuals and professional development courses supported by RANZCP and RACGP [2], which are now available globally,” said Dr Rocks.
Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, with an estimated 280 million people experiencing the common mental disorder [3].
As an NHMRC Investigator Grant Fellow, Dr Marx’s research is exploring how specific dietary components affect depression through biological pathways, including the gut microbiome and tryptophan-kynurenine metabolism [4].
Ongoing research in this space has provided a robust evidence base that diet quality is intrinsically linked to mental health outcomes, particularly depression. The reasons for this remain elusive. However, it is suggested that bi-directional communication between the gut and brain, involving neural, hormonal and immune pathways, plays a key role in mood regulation.
Through his research, Dr Marx aims to establish more effective, accessible, and personalised treatments for depression through nutrition interventions. It has already led to the first international clinical guidelines in Nutritional Psychiatry, endorsed by the World Federation of Societies for Biological Psychiatry [5].
“This work will help integrate dietary approaches into standard mental health care and inform public health strategies ultimately benefiting people living with depression, especially those seeking adjunctive treatments,” said Dr Marx.
When asked about the future of Nutritional Psychiatry, Dr Rocks hopes to see mental health care include better access to dietitians and more investment in prevention.
“We need stronger education for all members of the mental health care team, better implementation strategies, and system-level change to ensure that absolutely everyone, particularly those most vulnerable, has access to diet- and lifestyle-based support and treatment,” said Dr Rocks.
Because improving and maintaining good mental health may just depend on it.
[1] Dietitians Australia, Dietitians and nutritionists, Dietitians and nutritionists | Dietitians Australia
[2] The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) and The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP)
[3] World Health Organisation, Depressive disorder (depression), Depressive disorder (depression)
[4] The tryptophan-kynurenine pathway is a major route for metabolising tryptophan, an essential amino acid. This pathway has been implicated in various diseases including Irritable Bowel Disease, and cardiovascular disease and neurological conditions such as depression.
[5] Marx, W., et al. (2022). Clinical guidelines for the use of lifestyle-based mental health care in major depressive disorder: World Federation of Societies for Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) and Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine (ASLM) taskforce. The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, 24(5), 333–386. https://doi.org/10.1080/15622975.2022.2112074