While tensed-up muscles appear to be part of the package of modern times, which are highly stressful, there could soon be a balm in a Mediterranean diet in tackling the relentless pace. Researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York, have concluded from new research that there is, unmistakably, a significant reduction in reportedly perceived stress levels with a plant-based diet rich in healthful fats compared to a traditional Western diet.
Lina Begdache is an associate professor in health and wellness studies at Binghamton University. The way diet mediates stress processing was noted to be an important finding in the research. “Stress is known as a promoter of mental distress, and studies, of which ours is one, show that the Mediterranean diet reduces mental distress,” she said. That suggests the Mediterranean diet might decrease the adverse elements of perceived stress and increase the positive.
The Mediterranean diet, characterized by wholesome foods and vibrant natural colors, stands in contrast to the Western diet, which is characterized by highly glycemic, low-quality, processed food. The benefits of the Mediterranean diet to mental and physical health have long been well-documented; only recently perceived stress comes to the forefront.
To this effect, Begdache and her students have surveyed more than 1,500 people about their eating habits and the levels of stress that they perceived. Running the data through a machine-learning model, the research team found that those consuming elements of the Mediterranean diet reported lower levels of perceived stress and mental distress, while those who followed the Western pattern had higher levels of perceived stress and mental distress.
These findings, according to Bagdache, fill in a very important gap in literature, as most prior research explored how stress affects dietary choice and quality. She and her colleagues are currently working on some facets of brain function and behavior in relationship to dietary patterns.
The other article, titled “Effects of Mediterranean and Western dietary patterns on perceived stress and mental distress,” finds room in Nutrition and Health. This conclusion indicates that dietary patterns may indeed affect stress responses and this could be another rationale for advising those at risk of anxiety to incorporate some elements of the Mediterranean diet to lead them to good mental health and keep stress under control.
While all of this might just be the Mediterranean diet—one of the most promising avenues toward achieving it—it allows tensing up amidst modern life pressures and, at the same time, enables alleviation and improvement of mental health-related stress.