The relationship between eating habits and mental development in adolescents

Objectives: 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).Conclusion: As a result of our study, it was observed that adolescents' dietary contents had a significant effect on mental development.