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<\/a>If you have teenagers or have had teenagers in the past, you know they can be a little crazy at times. Sometimes they are a lot crazy. It\u2019s easy to dismiss the occasional weird behavior by attributing it to raging hormones. I wouldn\u2019t want to dismiss the difficulty teens experience adjusting to all these new hormones running around inside their body.<\/p>\nHowever, if you have a teenager, you also know their diet often isn\u2019t the best. Many of them live on sodas, fast foods, snack foods and sweets. Could there be a correlation between what they eat and their mental health? In fact, several recent studies have suggested there is a correlation between poor diet and mental health issues in teens.<\/p>\n
What is the connection between diet and mental health in teens?<\/strong><\/p>\n This study (WH Oddy et al, Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, doi.org\/10.1016\/j.bbi.2018.01.002<\/a>) breaks new ground.<\/p>\n How Was This Study Done?<\/strong><\/p>\n Based on food frequency questionnaires administered at both ages, the participants’ diets were given a score ranging from a \u201cHealthy\u201d at one extreme to \u201cWestern\u201d at the other extreme.<\/p>\n In addition to diet, the scientists measured BMI<\/a> (a measure of obesity) and mental health in the 14-year-old group. When those same teens reached 17, the measurements were repeated, and blood markers of inflammation were also measured.<\/p>\n Two assessments of mental health were used.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So what was the correlation between diet and mental health in teens?<\/p>\n On this basis, the investigators speculated that the effect of poor diet on mental health outcomes in teens was mediated by obesity and inflammation. (That is a fancy way of saying poor diet leads to obesity and inflammation, and obesity and inflammation lead to poor mental health.) However, the authors acknowledged they could not exclude a direct effect of diet on mental health.<\/p>\n On this basis, the investigators concluded that the reverse model hypothesis was unlikely. In short, they concluded that a model in which poor diet leads to depression and other mental health issues in teens is much more likely than a model in which mental health issues lead to a poor diet.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What Does This Mean For You?<\/strong><\/p>\n These studies are just the tip of the iceberg. There are dozens of recent studies that come to the same conclusion. In short, a good diet can make you happier as well as healthier. Whether you are 9 months or 90 years, a good diet is just as important for your mental health as for your physical health.<\/strong><\/p>\n As for those crazy teens of yours, you might want to encourage them to eat healthier. It may be a hard sell at first, but once they start feeling happier and calmer they may just be converts to a healthy eating plan.<\/p>\n Remember, there is a connection between diet and mental health in teens.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A recent study followed a group of teens in Western Australia from ages 14 to 17. They compared the effect of a \u201cWestern diet\u201d (characterized by fast foods, convenience foods, red and processed meats, full-fat dairy, French fries, refined grains, sweets, soft drinks, chips, sauces, and dressings) with a \u201cHealthy diet\u201d (characterized by whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and fish) on obesity, inflammation, depression, and mental health. The study found:<\/p>\n\n
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<\/a>This study has a very interesting history. It grew out of a major pregnancy study (The Raine study) initiated in Western Australia in 1989. The Raine study was designed to determine how events during pregnancy and childhood influence health later in life. Diet and many other variables were measured during pregnancy, at birth, and at 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 14, 17, 18, 20, and 22 years of age for the offspring. This particular study followed 843 teenagers who were assessed at ages 14 and 17.<\/p>\n\n
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Diet And Mental Health In Teens<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>Here are the results of the study:<\/p>\n\n
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<\/a>When you put this in the context of previous studies, it is clear that what we eat matters. More importantly, what we eat matters at every stage of life. For example:<\/p>\n\n
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The Bottom Line:<\/strong><\/h3>\n