ABSTRACT
A healthy nutritional state is essential for maintaining normal body function and averting or alleviating abnormalities caused by free radicals. Poor nutrition frequently causes impaired function, whereas adequate intake can reinstate or improve body functions. A growing body of research shows that diet and nutrition are important not only for providing energy and contributing to body structure composition but also for mood and mental well-being. The purpose of this review is to summarize current information on the link between specific macronutrient and micronutrient intake and mental health, with a focus on the impact of nutrition on mental health conditions such as depression, cognitive decline and developmental disorder, and so on, all of which have a serious influence on someone’s quality of life. Several research studies have highlighted major risk factors, which include Western diet, inadequate physical activity, poverty, and obesity. A healthy diet has been reported to affect the mental health and wellness via several pathways and can be controlled by nutrition. A well-balanced diet supported by a healthy lifestyle plays an important role in improving cognitive function and mental wellness. Food fortifiers, dietary supplements, and intake of functional foods are still the first line of intervention in preventing and mitigating mental health problems in the emerging research of nutritional psychiatry.
