Can Your Diet Impact PTSD? Research Suggests Mediterranean Diet May Be the Key

According to a study published this week in the journal Nature Mental Health, a Mediterranean diet high in fruits, vegetables, and fish may help lessen or prevent the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The results, published in peer-reviewed journals, were based on patient information from two trials, one conducted in 2008 and the other in 2013, including tens of thousands of female participants, according to NBC News.

The scientists who conducted those studies collected stool samples as well as data on the women's nutritional and mental health practices.

According to Carol Shively, a pathology professor at Wake Forest University School of Medicine who was not involved in the study, the findings might help improve dietary recommendations for persons who are susceptible to PTSD, such as those who are serving in the military.

According to Shively's own studies, the Mediterranean diet shields monkeys against too-aggressive stress reactions.

The Latest Study

191 women from the preceding cohorts were chosen for the newest study by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: 44 had PTSD symptoms, 119 had experienced trauma but lacked PTSD symptoms, and 28 had neither.

Women in that group who ate a diet rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and seafood in general, had lower symptoms of PTSD.

Particularly, plant-based diets were linked adversely to PTSD symptoms, whereas red and processed meats were linked favorably.

4 percent of people worldwide have had PTSD at some point in their lives. Researchers are still trying to figure out why some people who have encountered or witnessed traumatic events like serious injuries, violence, or fatalities acquire the disease.

He suggested that diet may play a significant role in that explanation.

The Gut Connection

Through a complex network of nerves, hormones, and chemicals, the brain and the gastrointestinal system, or "gut" - which comprises the stomach, intestines, and colon - exchange messages.

As a result, a number of mental diseases, including anxiety and depression, have been connected to poor gut health. Research conducted last year discovered gastrointestinal inflammation in PTSD patients.

Dysregulation in the brain circuits that control stress and terror reactions has been associated with PTSD in particular. Studies have revealed, for instance, that individuals with PTSD have overactive amygdalae. The amygdala is a part of the brain that aids in the processing of emotions.

The gut microbiome, or the bacteria and other microorganisms that inhabit the digestive tract, has an impact on the amygdala's growth as well as how it responds, claims Yang-Yu Liu, the study's author.

The Mediterranean diet has a number of nutrients that are known to promote gut health, which in turn can have an impact on brain function. These nutrients include fiber and omega-3 fatty acids.

In particular, a type of gut bacteria that was connected to the Mediterranean diet and tended to guard against PTSD symptoms was discovered by Liu and his study team.