People who eat large amounts of fruit and vegetables tend to be mentally healthier than others, according to a new study.
Researchers at Warwick University Medical School found that a third of people with high mental wellbeing met their daily target to eat five or more portions of fruit and vegetables.
Just 6.8% of this group of people at less than one portion of fruit and vegetables a day.
The researchers say theirs is the first study to show such a link.
The finding may reflect improved health from a healthy diet – or it may reflect personal satisfaction at achieving the target.
It could also simply mean that mentally health people find it easier than others to organise themselves to meet healthy eating targets.
They were reported in BMJ Open yesterday.
The researchers analysed details of more than 14,000 English adults, categorising 15% as having high mental wellbeing and 15% as having poor mental health.
Researcher Professor Sarah Stewart-Brown said: "Mental illness is hugely costly to both the individual and society, and mental wellbeing underpins many physical diseases, unhealthy lifestyles and social inequalities in health. It has become very important that we begin to research the factors that enable people to maintain a sense of wellbeing.
“Our findings add to the mounting evidence that fruit and vegetable intake could be one such factor and mean that people are likely to be able to enhance their mental wellbeing at the same time as preventing heart disease and cancer."
Major health-related behaviours and mental well-being in the general population: the Health Survey for England. BMJ Open 24 September 2014;4:e005878 doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2014-005878 [abstract]
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