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Discovering the Secrets of Longevity-2o Esperino EPAL Acharnon

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Discovering the Secrets of Longevity-2o Esperino EPAL Acharnon

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Students of 2o Esperino EPAL Acharnon have created an interactive algorithm that calculates life expectancy by answering questions related to smoking, diet, exercise, and financial status.

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Υπολογιστής Προσδόκιμου Ζωής

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Discovering the Secrets of Longevity-2o Esperino EPAL Acharnon

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Discovering the Secrets of Longevity-2o Esperino EPAL Acharnon

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The code we created in PHP

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The Mediterranean Diet involves lots of vegetables, olive oil and simple meals generally. I think this would help me feel more energetic and balanced, especially with less fast food in my life.

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The Mediterranean lifestyle enhances wellbeing through a holistic combination of diet,physical activity,social connection and a balanced pace of life; quality sleep is important to control our stress and anxiety!

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I am the one who eats lots of processed snacks. Switching to a Mediterranean style of eating could help me feel healthier and far more active. Many traditional Turkish dishes fit into this diet, so i will work on this.

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Eating more fresh herbs, tomatoes and legumes reminds me of my parents hometown where we spend our summers. That connection to nature would give me comfort and improve my emotional well-being.

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Even though I don’t live near the sea, I believe adding more olive oil, legumes and fish to my meals could improve my heart health and concentration.

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The Mediterranean Diet can support a more natural lifestyle. It could help me sleep better, focus more and maybe even feel more positive overall, especially if I reduce sugary foods.

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Discovering the Secrets of Longevity-2o Esperino EPAL Acharnon

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Discovering the Secrets of Longevity-2o Esperino EPAL Acharnon

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If I eat what the Mediterranean Diet suggests could help me eat less processed food and more fruits and vegetables. That would help me stay in better shape and feel more awake during school.

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I’m trying to lose weight in a healthy way, so the Mediterranean Diet could help me without feeling like I am on a strict diet. It is more like a lifestyle as I understand so I could follow long-term hopefully.

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Mediterranean Diet has many things we have in Samsun even though we dont see the Mediterranean basin. Seasonal fruits, fish and maybe some olive oil would help a lot my immune system and why not my mood, since eating lighter meals makes me feel less tired.

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The Mediterranean thing of eating looks peaceful. I think it could reduce stress by making meals a time to relax with family.

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It makes me think more about seasonal foods. That helps the environment too, not just my body.

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DMHB #38: Can the Mediterranean Diet Protect Mental Health in Children? #mediterraneandiet

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Trying this diet might help me avoid junk food. It would be a step toward a healthier lifestyle and clearer thinking.

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Eating more fresh and local food like in the Mediterranean Diet would improve my digestion and help me focus better at school. I also believe it would reduce stress by sharing meals with the family.

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Vegetables,fruits,legumes and olive oil are high in antioxidants and healthy fats;they support heart health and lower the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes.Socializing over meals and valuing family and friends reduce filling of loneliness.The med lifestyle includes regular rest like regular brakes and values balance and enjoyment of life.

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A strong adherence to the Mediterranean Diet enhances the chances of improving your health status. It has been found to reduce the risk for mortality,especially due to cardiovascular disease,diabetes .It focuses on polyunsaturated fats,antioxidants like extra virgin olive oil.Sleep is also vital because it relieves stress and angst. It is also enviromentally sustainable because it is based on fruits,legumes,vegetables and fish; less consumption of red meat!

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Since the Med Diet is not only about food but also about enjoying life slowly, I will take time to eat with others. This can imrpove my mental health Bahar Sand give me a break from stress and screens.

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It’s interesting how it’s not only about what you eat, but how you eat. I mean slowly, with others. That would improve my emotional balance.

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There are many benefits of the Mediterranean style of eating,which emphasizes whole grains,vegetables,fruits,fish and olive oil. Now research shows that the region's other lifestyle factors- including physical activity,rest-quality sllep and strong social bonds-also can help improve health.

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I would like to try cooking Mediterranean recipes. That could also help with my mental health because cooking makes me feel calm and creative.

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Less meat, more legumes and vegetables. With these I feel lighter.
Eating this way keeps my stomach calm and my energy stable. I don’t get the food coma feeling after meals.

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With this lifestyle mealtimes become more than just about food. They are time to reconnect with family and friends.

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Fresh vegetables, olive oil and no rush. Trying to keep it this way, could help my body and my heart. Slow, shared meals reduce stress and help me appreciate food more.

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I noticed when I eat more Mediterranean-style meals, I have better energy and sleep. That’s important for both physical and mental well-being. A good sleep helps me perform better in my everyday life and feel more balanced emotionally overall.

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How The mediterranean Diet Improves Your Mood - What The Science Shows

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Many of our traditional dishes in Greece, which we continue to cook, follow the Mediterranean Diet. Eating this way helps me stay healthy and close to my roots.
It connects me with my family’s cooking traditions. This sense of identity improves my emotional well-being too.

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The Mediterranean Diet for Mental Health - Wise Mind Nutrition

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Of all diets that have been studied, the Mediterranean Diet has (by far) the most scientific support for its mental health benefits, particularly for depressive symptoms

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When I eat meals based on the Mediterranean Diet, I feel connected to greek traditions. So,this makes me want to learn more recipes from my region. Food becomes a way to express identity.

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263: The “Smart” Mediterranean Diet: Protect Your Mind & Boost Your Mood

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It makes me think about the environment too. Local, seasonal or both products with buying food from local farmers is fun and supports the community. With shopping from the S/Ms we are full of plastic packaging.

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Study finds planetary health diet, Mediterranean diet are good for the heart and environment

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Healthy food keeps my mind clear. I don’t feel sleepy or moody during classes or my daily life. I believe this lifestyle can improve my performance because I’d have more energy and better concentration.

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I feel physically better with this lifestyle in my age. Fruits, greens and olive oil soothe my body and I feel more in control of my eating.

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Sharing food builds trust and warmth at home. We talk more, laugh more, and eat better. This is part of our culture and we feel well about it.

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It helps me stay connected with nature. I now understand how seasonal food supports both my body and the planet.

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I find relaxing to prepare a healthy meal, why not mediterranean and to eat slowly. It helps me calm and feel joy. It’s like a mini ritual of care and I focus on taste and smells when I feel stressed,

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1. Joseph Firth , research fellow 1 2,

2. James E Gangwisch , assistant professor 3 4,

3. Alessandra Borsini , researcher 5,

4. Robyn E Wootton , researcher 6 7 8,

5. Emeran A Mayer , professor 9 10

Correspondence to: J Firth joseph.firth{at}manchester.ac.uk

Poor nutrition may be a causal factor in the experience of low mood, and improving diet may help to protect not only the physical health but also the mental health of the population, say Joseph Firth and colleagues

Key messages

Healthy eating patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet, are associated with better mental health than "unhealthy" eating patterns, such as the Western diet

The effects of certain foods or dietary patterns on glycaemia, immune activation, and the gut microbiome may play a role in the relationships between food and mood

More research is needed to understand the mechanisms that link food and mental wellbeing and determine how and when nutrition can be used to improve mental health

Mood and carbohydrates

Consumption of highly refined carbohydrates can increase the risk of obesity and diabetes. 5 Glycaemic index is a relative ranking of carbohydrate in foods according to the speed at which they are digested, absorbed, metabolised, and ultimately affect blood glucose and insulin levels. As well as the physical health risks, diets with a high glycaemic index and load (eg, diets containing high amounts of refined carbohydrates and sugars) may also have a detrimental effect on psychological wellbeing; data from longitudinal research show an association between progressively higher dietary glycaemic index and the incidence of depressive symptoms. 6 Clinical studies have also shown potential causal effects of refined carbohydrates on mood; experimental exposure to diets with a high glycaemic load in controlled settings increases depressive symptoms in healthy volunteers, with a moderately large effect. 7

Although mood itself can affect our food choices, plausible mechanisms exist by which high consumption of processed carbohydrates could increase the risk of depression and anxiety-for example, through repeated and rapid increases and decreases in blood glucose. Measures of glycaemic index and glycaemic load can be used to estimate glycaemia and insulin demand in healthy individuals after eating. 8 Thus, high dietary glycaemic load, and the resultant compensatory responses, could lower plasma glucose to concentrations that trigger the secretion of autonomic counter-regulatory hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline, growth hormone, and glucagon. 5 9 The potential effects of this response on mood have been examined in experimental human research of stepped reductions in plasma glucose concentrations conducted under laboratory conditions through glucose perfusion. These findings showed that such counter-regulatory hormones may cause changes in anxiety, irritability, and hunger. 10 In addition, observational research has found that recurrent hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) is associated with mood disorders. 9

The hypothesis that repeated and rapid increases and decreases in blood glucose explain how consumption of refined carbohydrate could affect psychological state appears to be a good fit given the relatively fast effect of diets with a high glycaemic index or load on depressive symptoms observed in human studies. 7 However, other processes may explain the observed relationships. For instance, diets with a high glycaemic index are a risk factor for diabetes, 5 which is often a comorbid condition with depression. 4 11 While the main models of disease pathophysiology in diabetes and mental illness are separate, common abnormalities in insulin resistance, brain volume, and neurocognitive performance in both conditions support the hypothesis that these conditions have overlapping pathophysiology. 12 Furthermore, the inflammatory response to foods with a high glycaemic index 13 raises the possibility that diets with a high glycaemic index are associated with symptoms of depression through the broader connections between mental health and immune activation.

Diet, immune activation, and depression

Studies have found that sustained adherence to Mediterranean dietary patterns can reduce markers of inflammation in humans. 14 On the other hand, high calorie meals rich in saturated fat appear to stimulate immune activation. 13 15 Indeed, the inflammatory effects of a diet high in calories and saturated fat have been proposed as one mechanism through which the Western diet may have detrimental effects on brain health, including cognitive decline, hippocampal dysfunction, and damage to the blood-brain barrier. 15 Since various mental health conditions, including mood disorders, have been linked to heightened inflammation, 16 this mechanism also presents a pathway through which poor diet could increase the risk of depression. This hypothesis is supported by observational studies which have shown that people with depression score significantly higher on measures of "dietary inflammation," 3 17 characterised by a greater consumption of foods that are associated with inflammation (eg, trans fats and refined carbohydrates) and lower intakes of nutritional foods, which are thought to have anti-inflammatory properties (eg, omega-3 fats). However, the causal roles of dietary inflammation in mental health have not yet been established.

Nonetheless, randomised controlled trials of anti-inflammatory agents (eg, cytokine inhibitors and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) have found that these agents can significantly reduce depressive symptoms. 18 Specific nutritional components (eg, polyphenols and polyunsaturated fats) and general dietary patterns (eg, consumption of a Mediterranean diet) may also have anti-inflammatory effects, 14 19 20 which raises the possibility that certain foods could relieve or prevent depressive symptoms associated with heightened inflammatory status. 21 A recent study provides preliminary support for this possibility. 20 The study shows that medications that stimulate inflammation typically induce depressive states in people treated, and that giving omega-3 fatty acids, which have anti-inflammatory properties, before the medication seems to prevent the onset of cytokine induced depression. 20

However, the complexity of the hypothesised three way relation between diet, inflammation, and depression is compounded by several important modifiers. For example, recent clinical research has observed that stressors experienced the previous day, or a personal history of major depressive disorders, may cancel out the beneficial effects of healthy food choices on inflammation and mood. 22 Furthermore, as heightened inflammation occurs in only some clinically depressed individuals, anti-inflammatory interventions may only benefit certain people characterised by an "inflammatory phenotype," or those with comorbid inflammatory conditions. 18 Further interventional research is needed to establish if improvements in immune regulation, induced by diet, can reduce depressive symptoms in those affected by inflammatory conditions.

Brain, gut microbiome, and mood

A more recent explanation for the way in which our food may affect our mental wellbeing is the effect of dietary patterns on the gut microbiome-a broad term that refers to the trillions of microbial organisms, including bacteria, viruses, and archaea, living in the human gut. The gut microbiome interacts with the brain in bidirectional ways using neural, inflammatory, and hormonal signalling pathways. 23 The role of altered interactions between the brain and gut microbiome on mental health has been proposed on the basis of the following evidence: emotion-like behaviour in rodents changes with changes in the gut microbiome, 24 major depressive disorder in humans is associated with alterations of the gut microbiome, 25 and transfer of faecal gut microbiota from humans with depression into rodents appears to induce animal behaviours that are hypothesised to indicate depression-like states. 25 26 Such findings suggest a role of altered neuroactive microbial metabolites in depressive symptoms.

In addition to genetic factors and exposure to antibiotics, diet is a potentially modifiable determinant of the diversity, relative abundance, and functionality of the gut microbiome throughout life. For instance, the neurocognitive effects of the Western diet, and the possible mediating role of low grade systemic immune activation (as discussed above) may result from a compromised mucus layer with or without increased epithelial permeability. Such a decrease in the function of the gut barrier is sometimes referred to as a "leaky gut" and has been linked to an "unhealthy" gut microbiome resulting from a diet low in fibre and high in saturated fats, refined sugars, and artificial sweeteners. 15 23 27 Conversely, the consumption of a diet high in fibres, polyphenols, and unsaturated fatty acids (as found in a Mediterranean diet) can promote gut microbial taxa which can metabolise these food sources into anti-inflammatory metabolites, 15 28 such as short chain fatty acids, while lowering the production of secondary bile acids and p-cresol. Moreover, a recent study found that the ingestion of probiotics by healthy individuals, which theoretically target the gut microbiome, can alter the brain's response to a task that requires emotional attention 29 and may even reduce symptoms of depression. 30 When viewed together, these studies provide promising evidence supporting a role of the gut microbiome in modulating processes that regulate emotion in the human brain. However, no causal relationship between specific microbes, or their metabolites, and complex human emotions has been established so far. Furthermore, whether changes to the gut microbiome induced by diet can affect depressive symptoms or clinical depressive disorders, and the time in which this could feasibly occur, remains to be shown.

Priorities and next steps

In moving forward within this active field of research, it is firstly important not to lose sight of the wood for the trees-that is, become too focused on the details and not pay attention to the bigger questions. Whereas discovering the anti-inflammatory properties of a single nutrient or uncovering the subtleties of interactions between the gut and the brain may shed new light on how food may influence mood, it is important not to neglect the existing knowledge on other ways diet may affect mental health. For example, the later consequences of a poor diet include obesity and diabetes, which have already been shown to be associated with poorer mental health. 11 31 32 33 A full discussion of the effect of these comorbidities is beyond the scope of our article (see fig 1), but it is important to acknowledge that developing public health initiatives that effectively tackle the established risk factors of physical and mental comorbidities is a priority for improving population health.

Further work is needed to improve our understanding of the complex pathways through which diet and nutrition can influence the brain. Such knowledge could lead to investigations of targeted, even personalised, interventions to improve mood, anxiety, or other symptoms through nutritional approaches. However, these possibilities are speculative at the moment, and more interventional research is needed to establish if, how, and when dietary interventions can be used to prevent mental illness or reduce symptoms in those living with such conditions. Of note, a recent large clinical trial found no significant benefits of a behavioural intervention promoting a Mediterranean diet for adults with subclinical depressive symptoms. 34 On the other hand, several recent smaller trials in individuals with current depression observed moderately large improvements from interventions based on the Mediterranean diet. 35 36 37 Such results, however, must be considered within the context of the effect of people's expectations, particularly given that individuals' beliefs about the quality of their food or diet may also have a marked effect on their sense of overall health and wellbeing. 38 Nonetheless, even aside from psychological effects, consideration of dietary factors within mental healthcare may help improve physical health outcomes, given the higher rates of cardiometabolic diseases observed in people with mental illness. 33

At the same time, it is important to be remember that the causes of mental illness are many and varied, and they will often present and persist independently of nutrition and diet. Thus, the increased understanding of potential connections between food and mental wellbeing should never be used to support automatic assumptions, or stigmatisation, about an individual's dietary choices and their mental health. Indeed, such stigmatisation could be itself be a casual pathway to increasing the risk of poorer mental health. Nonetheless, a promising message for public health and clinical settings is emerging from the ongoing research. This message supports the idea that creating environments and developing measures that promote healthy, nutritious diets, while decreasing the consumption of highly processed and refined "junk" foods may provide benefits even beyond the well known effects on physical health, including improved psychological wellbeing.

Footnotes

Contributors and sources: JF has expertise in the interaction between physical and mental health, particularly the role of lifestyle and behavioural health factors in mental health promotion. JEG's area of expertise is the study of the relationship between sleep duration, nutrition, psychiatric disorders, and cardiometabolic diseases. AB leads research investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying the effect of stress and inflammation on human hippocampal neurogenesis, and how nutritional components and their metabolites can prevent changes induced by those conditions. REW has expertise in genetic epidemiology approaches to examining casual relations between health behaviours and mental illness. EAM has expertise in brain and gut interactions and microbiome interactions. All authors contributed to, read, and approved the paper, and all the information was sourced from articles published in peer reviewed research journals. JF is the guarantor.

Competing interests: We have read and understood BMJ policy on declaration of interests and declare the following: JF is supported by a University of Manchester Presidential Fellowship and a UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellowship and has received support from a NICM-Blackmores Institute Fellowship. JEG served on the medical advisory board on insomnia in the cardiovascular patient population for the drug company Eisai. AB has received research funding from Johnson & Johnson for research on depression and inflammation, the UK Medical Research Council, the European Commission Horizon 2020, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and King's College London. REW receives funding from the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre at the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol. EAM has served on the external advisory boards of Danone, Viome, Amare, Axial Biotherapeutics, Pendulum, Ubiome, Bloom Science, Mahana Therapeutics, and APC Microbiome Ireland, and he receives royalties from Harper & Collins for his book The Mind Gut Connection. He is supported by grants from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and the US Department of Defense. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the organisations above.

Provenance and peer review: Commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

This article is part of series commissioned by The BMJ. Open access fees are paid by Swiss Re, which had no input into the commissioning or peer review of the articles. T he BMJ thanks the series advisers, Nita Forouhi, Dariush Mozaffarian, and Anna Lartey for valuable advice and guiding selection of topics in the series.

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Food and mood: how do diet and nutrition affect mental wellbeing?

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Poor nutrition may be a causal factor in the experience of low mood, and improving diet may help to protect not only the physical health but also the mental health of the population, say Joseph Firth and colleagues ### Key messages Depression and anxiety are the most common mental health conditions worldwide, making them a leading cause of disability.1 Even beyond diagnosed conditions, subclinical symptoms of depression and anxiety affect the wellbeing and functioning of a large proportion of the population.2 Therefore, new approaches to managing both clinically diagnosed and subclinical depression and anxiety are needed.

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Mediterranean diet: Foods to eat, health benefits and how to get started | Good Food Is Good Medicine

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The Mediterranean diet is shown to have many health benefits. It focuses on plant-based foods while staying away from highly processed items. Here’s what you should know about this eating plan.