“Mental health is a human right. We need to make mental health a reality for all – for everyone, everywhere.” (Dr. Francisco T. Duque III, Department of Health Secretary since 2017 – present)
The state of mental health in the Philippines still has a long way to go towards improvement. Mental illness has become the third most common disability in the Philippines wherein at least 3.6 million Filipinos suffer from one kind of mental, neurological, and substance use disorder as identified in the study conducted by Philippine WHO Special Initiative for Mental Health in the early 2020.
There are many factors that can contribute to one’s mental health condition, such as biological factors, life experiences, family history, socioeconomic status. But emerging research studies have shown that access to food and overall quality of diet can also affect a person’s mental health.
A 2020 review of 20 studies about diet’s impact on depression indicated that high adherence to healthful dietary recommendation, such as fish consumption, exclusion of processed foods, and adequate intake of folic acid and magnesium is linked to lower risk of depression. While a dietary pattern that is high in inflammatory foods, including sweets, refined flour, high-fat foods, red and processed meats can be associated with an increased risk of depression. A healthful diet is not only associated with lower risk of depression, but also in decreasing symptoms or risks of anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and bipolar disorder. The type of diet that researchers have concluded to be beneficial to previously mentioned mental illnesses is often characterized by a balanced and adequate intake of vegetables, fruits, fiber, legumes, fish, whole grains, micronutrient, and minerals, such as magnesium, folic acid, and other B vitamins, with limited intake of foods with added sugars, high-fat foods, red meat, and processed foods.
More studies are needed to prove how deeply nutrition affects mental health, but current research suggests that our food choices influence our mental health. And of all the factors identified that shapes one’s psychological health, it is in what we eat that we have most control of.
Written by: NO I Sean Frances P. Barredo
References:
YOUR MIND MATTERS: DOH CALLS FOR UNIFIED RESPONSE TO MENTAL HEALTH. Retrieved from https://doh.gov.ph/press-release/YOUR-MIND-MATTERS-DOH-CALLS-FOR-UNIFIED-RESPONSE-TO-MENTAL-HEALTH
Amidor, T. (2021). Nutrition’s Impact on Mental Health. Today’s Dietitian (November/December): 36-39.
