Diet and depression: exploring the biological mechanisms of action

doi:10.1038/s41380-020-00925-x

Review

. 2021 Jan;26(1):134-150.

doi: 10.1038/s41380-020-00925-x. Epub 2020 Nov 3.

Diet and depression: exploring the biological mechanisms of action

Wolfgang Marx¹, Melissa Lane², Meghan Hockey², Hajara Aslam², Michael Berk^{2

3

4}, Ken Walder⁵, Alessandra Borsini⁶, Joseph Firth^{7

8}, Carmine M Pariante⁶, Kirsten Berding⁹, John F Cryan^{9

10}, Gerard Clarke^{9

11

12}, Jeffrey M Craig¹³, Kuan-Pin Su^{14

15

16}, David Mischoulon^{17

18}, Fernando Gomez-Pinilla¹⁹, Jane A Foster²⁰, Patrice D Cani²¹, Sandrine Thuret²², Heidi M Staudacher², Almudena Sánchez-Villegas^{23

24}, Husnain Arshad²⁵, Tasnime Akbaraly^{25

26}, Adrienne O'Neil², Toby Segasby²², Felice N Jacka^{2

27

28

29}

Affiliations

¹ Deakin University, IMPACT (the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation), Food & Mood Centre, Geelong, VIC, Australia. wolf.marx@deakin.edu.au.
² Deakin University, IMPACT (the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation), Food & Mood Centre, Geelong, VIC, Australia.
³ Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Centre for Youth Mental Health, Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
⁵ Deakin University, IMPACT (the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation), Metabolic Research Unit, Geelong, VIC, Australia.
⁶ Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
⁷ Division of Psychology and Mental Health, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
⁸ NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Westmead, NSW, Australia.
⁹ APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
¹⁰ Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
¹¹ Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioural Science, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
¹² INFANT Research Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
¹³ Deakin University, IMPACT (the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation), Geelong, VIC, Australia.
¹⁴ Departments of Psychiatry and Mind-Body Interface Laboratory (MBI-Lab), China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
¹⁵ An-Nan Hospital, China Medical University, Tainan, Taiwan.
¹⁶ College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
¹⁷ Department of Psychiatry, Depression Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
¹⁸ Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
¹⁹ Departments of Neurosurgery and Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
²⁰ Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
²¹ UCLouvain, Université catholique de Louvain, WELBIO-Walloon Excellence in Life Sciences and BIOtechnology, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Metabolism and Nutrition Research Group, Brussels, Belgium.
²² Basic and Clinical Neuroscience Department, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
²³ Nutrition Research Group, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Gran Canaria, Spain.
²⁴ Biomedical Research Center Network on Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERobn) Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
²⁵ Université Paris-Saclay, UVSQ, Inserm, CESP, "DevPsy", 94807, Villejuif, France.
²⁶ Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK.
²⁷ Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
²⁸ Black Dog Institute, Randwick, NSW, Australia.
²⁹ James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia.

PMID: 33144709
DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-00925-x

Review

Diet and depression: exploring the biological mechanisms of action

Wolfgang Marx et al. Mol Psychiatry. 2021 Jan.

. 2021 Jan;26(1):134-150.

doi: 10.1038/s41380-020-00925-x. Epub 2020 Nov 3.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Deakin University, IMPACT (the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation), Food & Mood Centre, Geelong, VIC, Australia. wolf.marx@deakin.edu.au.
² Deakin University, IMPACT (the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation), Food & Mood Centre, Geelong, VIC, Australia.
³ Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Centre for Youth Mental Health, Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
⁵ Deakin University, IMPACT (the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation), Metabolic Research Unit, Geelong, VIC, Australia.
⁶ Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
⁷ Division of Psychology and Mental Health, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
⁸ NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Westmead, NSW, Australia.
⁹ APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
¹⁰ Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
¹¹ Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioural Science, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
¹² INFANT Research Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
¹³ Deakin University, IMPACT (the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation), Geelong, VIC, Australia.
¹⁴ Departments of Psychiatry and Mind-Body Interface Laboratory (MBI-Lab), China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
¹⁵ An-Nan Hospital, China Medical University, Tainan, Taiwan.
¹⁶ College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
¹⁷ Department of Psychiatry, Depression Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
¹⁸ Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
¹⁹ Departments of Neurosurgery and Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
²⁰ Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
²¹ UCLouvain, Université catholique de Louvain, WELBIO-Walloon Excellence in Life Sciences and BIOtechnology, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Metabolism and Nutrition Research Group, Brussels, Belgium.
²² Basic and Clinical Neuroscience Department, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
²³ Nutrition Research Group, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Gran Canaria, Spain.
²⁴ Biomedical Research Center Network on Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERobn) Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
²⁵ Université Paris-Saclay, UVSQ, Inserm, CESP, "DevPsy", 94807, Villejuif, France.
²⁶ Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK.
²⁷ Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
²⁸ Black Dog Institute, Randwick, NSW, Australia.
²⁹ James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia.

PMID: 33144709
DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-00925-x

Abstract

The field of nutritional psychiatry has generated observational and efficacy data supporting a role for healthy dietary patterns in depression onset and symptom management. To guide future clinical trials and targeted dietary therapies, this review provides an overview of what is currently known regarding underlying mechanisms of action by which diet may influence mental and brain health. The mechanisms of action associating diet with health outcomes are complex, multifaceted, interacting, and not restricted to any one biological pathway. Numerous pathways were identified through which diet could plausibly affect mental health. These include modulation of pathways involved in inflammation, oxidative stress, epigenetics, mitochondrial dysfunction, the gut microbiota, tryptophan-kynurenine metabolism, the HPA axis, neurogenesis and BDNF, epigenetics, and obesity. However, the nascent nature of the nutritional psychiatry field to date means that the existing literature identified in this review is largely comprised of preclinical animal studies. To fully identify and elucidate complex mechanisms of action, intervention studies that assess markers related to these pathways within clinically diagnosed human populations are needed.

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Comment in

There is not much to mediate [yet] when it comes to diet and depression.
Molendijk ML, Molero P, Thomas-Odenthal F, van der Does W. Molendijk ML, et al. Mol Psychiatry. 2022 Feb;27(2):776-777. doi: 10.1038/s41380-021-01382-w. Epub 2021 Nov 9. Mol Psychiatry. 2022. PMID: 34754109 No abstract available.
Diet and depression: future needs to unlock the potential.
Marx W, Lane MM, Hockey M, Aslam H, Walder K, Borsini A, Firth J, Pariante CM, Berding K, Cryan JF, Clarke G, Craig JM, Su KP, Mischoulon D, Gomez-Pinilla F, Foster JA, Cani PD, Thuret S, Staudacher HM, Sánchez-Villegas A, Arshad H, Akbaraly T, O'Neil A, Jacka FN. Marx W, et al. Mol Psychiatry. 2022 Feb;27(2):778-780. doi: 10.1038/s41380-021-01360-2. Epub 2021 Nov 9. Mol Psychiatry. 2022. PMID: 34754110 No abstract available.

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Dietary Habits and Depression in Community-Dwelling Chinese Older Adults: Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Moderating Role of Physical Exercise.
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Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses.
Lane MM, Gamage E, Du S, Ashtree DN, McGuinness AJ, Gauci S, Baker P, Lawrence M, Rebholz CM, Srour B, Touvier M, Jacka FN, O'Neil A, Segasby T, Marx W. Lane MM, et al. BMJ. 2024 Feb 28;384:e077310. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2023-077310. BMJ. 2024. PMID: 38418082 Free PMC article.
Gut microbiota, nutrition, and mental health.
Merlo G, Bachtel G, Sugden SG. Merlo G, et al. Front Nutr. 2024 Feb 9;11:1337889. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1337889. eCollection 2024. Front Nutr. 2024. PMID: 38406183 Free PMC article. Review.
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References

1. Marx W, Moseley G, Berk M, Jacka F. Nutritional psychiatry: the present state of the evidence. Proc Nutr Soc. 2017;76:427–36. - PubMed - DOI
1. Jacka FN, O’Neil A, Opie R, Itsiopoulos C, Cotton S, Mohebbi M, et al. A randomised controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression (the ‘SMILES’ trial). BMC Med. 2017;15:23. - PubMed - PMC - DOI
1. Lassale C, Batty GD, Baghdadli A, Jacka F, Sanchez-Villegas A, Kivimaki M, et al. Healthy dietary indices and risk of depressive outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Mol Psychiatry. 2019;24:965–86. - PubMed - DOI
1. Firth J, Marx W, Dash S, Carney R, Teasdale SB, Solmi M, Stubbs B, Schuch FB, Carvalho AF, Jacka F, Sarris J. The effects of dietary improvement on symptoms of depression and anxiety: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Psychosomatic medicine. 2019;81:265. - PubMed - PMC - DOI
1. Jacka FN, Pasco JA, Mykletun A, Williams LJ, Hodge AM, O’Reilly SL, et al. Association of western and traditional diets with depression and anxiety in women. Am J Psychiatry. 2010;167:305–11. - PubMed - DOI

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[1] Marx W, Moseley G, Berk M, Jacka F. Nutritional psychiatry: the present state of the evidence. Proc Nutr Soc. 2017;76:427–36. - PubMed - DOI

[2] Marx W, Moseley G, Berk M, Jacka F. Nutritional psychiatry: the present state of the evidence. Proc Nutr Soc. 2017;76:427–36. - PubMed - DOI

[3] Jacka FN, O’Neil A, Opie R, Itsiopoulos C, Cotton S, Mohebbi M, et al. A randomised controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression (the ‘SMILES’ trial). BMC Med. 2017;15:23. - PubMed - PMC - DOI

[4] Jacka FN, O’Neil A, Opie R, Itsiopoulos C, Cotton S, Mohebbi M, et al. A randomised controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression (the ‘SMILES’ trial). BMC Med. 2017;15:23. - PubMed - PMC - DOI

[5] Lassale C, Batty GD, Baghdadli A, Jacka F, Sanchez-Villegas A, Kivimaki M, et al. Healthy dietary indices and risk of depressive outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Mol Psychiatry. 2019;24:965–86. - PubMed - DOI

[6] Lassale C, Batty GD, Baghdadli A, Jacka F, Sanchez-Villegas A, Kivimaki M, et al. Healthy dietary indices and risk of depressive outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Mol Psychiatry. 2019;24:965–86. - PubMed - DOI

[7] Firth J, Marx W, Dash S, Carney R, Teasdale SB, Solmi M, Stubbs B, Schuch FB, Carvalho AF, Jacka F, Sarris J. The effects of dietary improvement on symptoms of depression and anxiety: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Psychosomatic medicine. 2019;81:265. - PubMed - PMC - DOI

[8] Firth J, Marx W, Dash S, Carney R, Teasdale SB, Solmi M, Stubbs B, Schuch FB, Carvalho AF, Jacka F, Sarris J. The effects of dietary improvement on symptoms of depression and anxiety: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Psychosomatic medicine. 2019;81:265. - PubMed - PMC - DOI

[9] Jacka FN, Pasco JA, Mykletun A, Williams LJ, Hodge AM, O’Reilly SL, et al. Association of western and traditional diets with depression and anxiety in women. Am J Psychiatry. 2010;167:305–11. - PubMed - DOI

[10] Jacka FN, Pasco JA, Mykletun A, Williams LJ, Hodge AM, O’Reilly SL, et al. Association of western and traditional diets with depression and anxiety in women. Am J Psychiatry. 2010;167:305–11. - PubMed - DOI

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Diet and depression: exploring the biological mechanisms of action

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Diet and depression: exploring the biological mechanisms of action

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