Scientists say eating this type of food may help reduce stress

By Stephen Beech via SWNS

Sticking to a Mediterranean-style diet makes people feel less stressed, according to new research.

The Med Diet consisting of mainly fruit, veg and whole grains with extra virgin olive oil as the main source of fat has previously been shown to reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke as well as other chronic conditions.

Now a new American study comparing the impact of Mediterranean and traditional Western diets , known for high concentrations of high-glycaemic and low-quality processed foods, showed that the Med option reduced stress levels.

The findings, published in the journal Nutrition and Health , suggest that people can lower their perception of how much stress they can tolerate by following a Mediterranean diet.

Professor Lina Begdache, of Binghamton University in New York, said: “Stress is recognized to be a precursor to mental distress, and research, including our own, has demonstrated that the Mediterranean diet lowers mental distress.

“Thus, one element of the puzzle may be explained by the fact that the Mediterranean diet may be associated with a decrease in the negative components of perceived stress and an improvement in its positive attributes.”

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

Begdache and her students conducted a survey of more than 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 showed 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 the 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.

Now she and her team are looking at different aspects of brain function and behaviour in relation to dietary patterns.

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