A Quick Review of DASH Diet and its Effect on Mental Disorders

Abstract

Mental disorders and the related symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and aggression are related to increased mortality and higher risk of chronic diseases. The number of people with depression and anxiety as two common mental disorders has increased by 18.4 and 14.9%, respectively between 2005 and 2015 1. Therefore appropriate strategies to prevent psychological disorders and decrease their burden to the society and healthcare system is an important issue 2,3. Diet as a lifestyle factor can contribute to developing mental disorders. Most studies that examined the relationship between mental disorders and nutritional factors are more on B vitamins, folate and omega-3 fatty acids 4,5. It has been shown that focused a diet high in olive oil and monounsaturated fatty acids was negatively associated with depression 6. Also, the inverse linear association was detected between fruit and nut consumption and the prevalence of depression. It has been seen that the Mediterranean diet was associated with lower risk of depression 7. Previous studies have shown positive effects of dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) on various diseases such as diabetes, metabolic syndromes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases 8-12. There are limited studies on association of such diet and mental disorders.