The relationship between eating habits and mental development in adolescents

INTRODUCTION: Nutritional psychiatry is a new and rapidly gaining term in the field of nutrition and mental health. It is reported that unhealthy diets are a risk factor for the development of psychiatric symptoms such as depression and anxiety. In this study, it was aimed to determine the relationship between adolescents’ eating habits and mental development.
METHODS: The study was conducted in a public high school. The 24-h dietary recall was used to examine the nutritional habits of adolescents. “Adolescence Mental Development Scale” was used to determine the psychological development of adolescents.
RESULTS: Of the 135 adolescents participating in the study, 59.3% are female. It was found that the consumption of carbohydrates, omega-6, riboflavin, folic acid, phosphorus, magnesium, dietary fiber, anthocyanin, etc., showed a statistically significant difference between individuals with positive and negative mental developments (p<0.05). Consumption of carbohydrates, omega-6, riboflavin, folic acid, phosphorus, magnesium, dietary fiber, anthocyanin, etc., was statistically significantly lower in individuals with negative mental developments (p<0.05).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: As a result of our study, it was observed that adolescents’ dietary contents had a significant effect on mental development.