Panacea Index Logo

Command Palette

Search for a command to run...

Diet and Anxiety: A Scoping Review.

Nutrients
January 1, 1970
Monique Aucoin et al. (10 authors)
Journal ArticleScoping ReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers sought to identify associations between dietary factors, including High-Fat Diet, and anxiety symptoms or disorder prevalence.

Results Summary

The study found an association between higher levels of anxiety and High-Fat Diet, alongside other unhealthy dietary patterns. Results were limited by a large percentage of animal and observational studies, with few high-quality intervention studies involving participants with anxiety disorders.

Population

General population and animal models (specific human population with anxiety disorders was limited to 10% of intervention studies).

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (18)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
fruits and vegetables
decrease
anxiety symptoms or disorder prevalence
-
-
less anxiety
#1
omega-3 fatty acids
decrease
anxiety symptoms or disorder prevalence
-
-
less anxiety
#2
"healthy" dietary patterns
decrease
anxiety symptoms or disorder prevalence
-
-
less anxiety
#3
caloric restriction
decrease
anxiety symptoms or disorder prevalence
-
-
less anxiety
#4
breakfast consumption
decrease
anxiety symptoms or disorder prevalence
-
-
less anxiety
#5
ketogenic diet
decrease
anxiety symptoms or disorder prevalence
-
-
less anxiety
#6
broad-spectrum micronutrient supplementation
decrease
anxiety symptoms or disorder prevalence
-
-
less anxiety
#7
zinc
decrease
anxiety symptoms or disorder prevalence
-
-
less anxiety
#8
magnesium
decrease
anxiety symptoms or disorder prevalence
-
-
less anxiety
#9
selenium
decrease
anxiety symptoms or disorder prevalence
-
-
less anxiety
#10
probiotics
decrease
anxiety symptoms or disorder prevalence
-
-
less anxiety
#11
a range of phytochemicals
decrease
anxiety symptoms or disorder prevalence
-
-
less anxiety
#12
high-fat diet
increase
anxiety symptoms or disorder prevalence
-
-
higher levels of anxiety
#13
inadequate tryptophan
increase
anxiety symptoms or disorder prevalence
-
-
higher levels of anxiety
#14
inadequate dietary protein
increase
anxiety symptoms or disorder prevalence
-
-
higher levels of anxiety
#15
high intake of sugar
increase
anxiety symptoms or disorder prevalence
-
-
higher levels of anxiety
#16
high intake of refined carbohydrates
increase
anxiety symptoms or disorder prevalence
-
-
higher levels of anxiety
#17
"unhealthy" dietary patterns
increase
anxiety symptoms or disorder prevalence
-
-
higher levels of anxiety
#18
Abstract

Anxiety disorders are the most common group of mental disorders. There is mounting evidence demonstrating the importance of nutrition in the development and progression of mental disorders such as depression; however, less is known about the role of nutrition in anxiety disorders. This scoping review sought to systematically map the existing literature on anxiety disorders and nutrition in order to identify associations between dietary factors and anxiety symptoms or disorder prevalence as well as identify gaps and opportunities for further research. The review followed established methodological approaches for scoping reviews. Due to the large volume of results, an online program (Abstrackr) with artificial intelligence features was used. Studies reporting an association between a dietary constituent and anxiety symptoms or disorders were counted and presented in figures. A total of 55,914 unique results were identified. After a full-text review, 1541 articles met criteria for inclusion. Analysis revealed an association between less anxiety and more fruits and vegetables, omega-3 fatty acids, "healthy" dietary patterns, caloric restriction, breakfast consumption, ketogenic diet, broad-spectrum micronutrient supplementation, zinc, magnesium and selenium, probiotics, and a range of phytochemicals. Analysis revealed an association between higher levels of anxiety and high-fat diet, inadequate tryptophan and dietary protein, high intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates, and "unhealthy" dietary patterns. Results are limited by a large percentage of animal and observational studies. Only 10% of intervention studies involved participants with anxiety disorders, limiting the applicability of the findings. High quality intervention studies involving participants with anxiety disorders are warranted.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Anxiety DisordersDietDiet, HealthyDietary SupplementsHumansNutritional Status
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy20/10
Quality65/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations92
Citations/Year23.0
Relative Citation Ratio10.19
NIH Percentile97.9%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.95
Weight Score1.72
Normalized Score0.41
Related Supplements
Diet and Anxiety: A Scoping Review. | Panacea Index