Category Archives: Mental Health and Cognition

Eating a Mediterranean Diet May Reduce Risk of Developing Binge Eating Disorder

A collaboration between Italian and Spanish researchers has uncovered a possible relationship between binge eating disorder and adherence to the Mediterranean diet.

It is not well know what causes binge eating disorders, though it is understood to be related to mental illness and the compulsive need to eat without actually being hungry.

Studies focusing on the Mediterranean diet have shown that consumption may be related to a possible decreased risk of certain mental illnesses, including depression and anxiety, though until recently, there have been no studies examining possible connections between Mediterranean diet adherence and mental illness related to binge eating.

One recent study looked at a group of individuals at risk of developing binge eating disorders (1472 participants total) and asked them questions about their diet. The answers to these surveys resulted in an adherence to the Mediterranean Diet score for each participant. Questionnaires related to binge eating, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and total body fat were also given to participants to complete.

Important Findings:

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The Mediterranean Diet May Be Associated with Improved Mood, Cognitive, and Cardiovascular Function in Women

A new study in the journal Nutrition examined the effect of switching to a Mediterranean diet on mental and cardiovascular health outcomes.

The study included 24 female participants who were randomly assigned to either switching to a Mediterranean-style diet or no diet change for 10 days before switching back to their original diet for another 10 days (in the case of the Mediterranean diet group).

Researchers measured mood, cognition, blood pressure, blood flow velocity, and arterial stiffness at the beginning of the study, on day 11 after

Photo By Kk90aa. (Own work.) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Photo By Kk90aa. (Own work.) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
completing the first diet segment, and again at day 22 after completing the switch back to their original diets.

Main Findings:

Continue reading The Mediterranean Diet May Be Associated with Improved Mood, Cognitive, and Cardiovascular Function in Women