Nutrition is usually taken to be important for physical health, but mental health brain health in its widest sense must be considered as equally important. A diet lacking essential nutrients or containing too many ingredients that are detrimental in excess is likely to have adverse consequences for brain function and thus mental health and behaviour. It is widely agreed that a balanced diet is required to support physical health and there is good scientific evidence suggesting that the Mediterranean diet is a good model. It is likely that a balanced diet of this kind is also beneficial for the healthy functioning of the brain.
It is now established that certain essential fatty acids (EFAs) especially Arachidonic Acid (AA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) form an important part of the cellular structure of the brain and in maintaining its normal functions. But there is no nutritional magic bullet. No nutrient works in isolation; a deficiency in one leads to sub optimal functioning of others. The lack of certain nutrients, however, may be associated with a range of mental and behavioural disorders as this report describes. A deficiency of omega-3 EFAs is associated with certain mental and behavioural disorders, such as ADHD, depression, dementia, dyspraxia, greater impulsivity and aggressive behaviour, but the association is still only partly understood.
We believe that on-going research into the nutritional aspects of brain structure and function should be supported and further expanded. This should be funded, and new research commissioned, by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the Department of Health, but also by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Ministry of Justice because they are responsible for the areas of policy where public benefits are most likely to accrue, if the evidence emerging from recent trials is confirmed by further research. The Medical Research Council and universities will undertake much of this research.
Public policy should be based on sound science and the evidence we have seen and heard endorses the widely held view among those working in this field that more research is needed and worth undertaking. However, what is already known about the importance of nutrition for the development of the brain and mental health has significant public policy implications. The key conclusions and recommendations that emerged from the series of inquiry meetings held by the Forum in Parliament between March and October 2007 and the written evidence submitted to the inquiry are as follows.
Contents
Executive Summary and Recommendations
Introduction
- 1. The Associate Parliamentary Food and Health Forum
2. Acknowledgements
3. Background
4. Methods
Research methods - a hierarchy of evidence [Box 1]
1. Nutrition and brain development
- 1. The effect of the changing human diet over time Consumption of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids Links between omega-3 consumption and health Biochemical factors in brain composition: why some fatty acids are essential [Box 2]
2. Significance of the maternal diet for the development of the brain Low birth weight and risk of future ill health Maternal intake of EFAs - risk of exposure to toxins in fish versus children’s IQ Calculation of Recommended Dietary Intakes [Box 3]
2. Nutrition and brain function
- 1. The role of essential fatty acids Omega-3 and neurotransmission [Box 4]
2. The effect of artificial food additives on behaviour
Tartrazine
Recent research
3. Breakfast and school performance
The Glycaemic Index [Box 5]
4. Vitamins and minerals
Iron
Zinc
3. Nutrition and mental health
- 1. Depression Links between omega-3 consumption and the incidence of depression Therapeutic value of omega-3 consumption
2. Schizophrenia
3. General mental health
4. Dementia
5. Diet and violent behaviour HM YOI Aylesbury research Next steps within the National Offender Management Service (NOMS)
4. Public policy options
- 1. Public benefit of research into nutrition and behaviour .
2. Government advice on diet.
Fish stocks
Changes in the nutritional profile of animal feeds and food
3. Supplements
4. Fortification of food
5. Genetic modification of food
5. Appendix
- 1. Oral evidence
2. Written evidence
3. Glossary
