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. 2021 Dec 10;13(12):4418.
doi: 10.3390/nu13124418.

Diet and Anxiety: A Scoping Review

Monique Aucoin  1 , Laura LaChance  2   3 , Umadevi Naidoo  4   5 , Daniella Remy  1   6 , Tanisha Shekdar  1 , Negin Sayar  1 , Valentina Cardozo  1 , Tara Rawana  1 , Irina Chan  1 , Kieran Cooley  1   7   8   9
Affiliations

Diet and Anxiety: A Scoping Review

Monique Aucoin et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Anxiety disorders are the most common group of mental disorders. There is mounting evidence demonstrating the importance of nutrition in the development and progression of mental disorders such as depression; however, less is known about the role of nutrition in anxiety disorders. This scoping review sought to systematically map the existing literature on anxiety disorders and nutrition in order to identify associations between dietary factors and anxiety symptoms or disorder prevalence as well as identify gaps and opportunities for further research. The review followed established methodological approaches for scoping reviews. Due to the large volume of results, an online program (Abstrackr) with artificial intelligence features was used. Studies reporting an association between a dietary constituent and anxiety symptoms or disorders were counted and presented in figures. A total of 55,914 unique results were identified. After a full-text review, 1541 articles met criteria for inclusion. Analysis revealed an association between less anxiety and more fruits and vegetables, omega-3 fatty acids, "healthy" dietary patterns, caloric restriction, breakfast consumption, ketogenic diet, broad-spectrum micronutrient supplementation, zinc, magnesium and selenium, probiotics, and a range of phytochemicals. Analysis revealed an association between higher levels of anxiety and high-fat diet, inadequate tryptophan and dietary protein, high intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates, and "unhealthy" dietary patterns. Results are limited by a large percentage of animal and observational studies. Only 10% of intervention studies involved participants with anxiety disorders, limiting the applicability of the findings. High quality intervention studies involving participants with anxiety disorders are warranted.

Keywords: anxiety; diet; dietetics; food; mental health; nutrition; nutritional science; psychiatry.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram. AI: artificial intelligence.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of included studies by methodology (count, percent).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Types of observational studies (count, percent).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Participant populations in human experimental studies (count, percent).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Studies assessing the composition of dietary patterns. ⯀ Higher intake or levels associated with decreased anxiety. ⯀ No association between intake or levels and anxiety. ⯀ Higher intake or levels associated with increased anxiety.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Studies assessing the amount of food consumed or timing of eating. ⯀ Higher intake or levels associated with decreased anxiety. ⯀ No association between intake or levels and anxiety. ⯀ Higher intake or levels associated with increased anxiety.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Studies assessing dietary carbohydrates and anxiety. ⯀ Higher intake or levels associated with decreased anxiety. ⯀ No association between intake or levels and anxiety. ⯀ Higher intake or levels associated with increased anxiety.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Studies assessing protein and anxiety. ⯀ Higher intake or levels associated with decreased anxiety. ⯀ No association between intake or levels and anxiety. ⯀ Higher intake or levels associated with increased anxiety.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Studies assessing dietary fats and anxiety. ⯀ Higher intake or levels associated with decreased anxiety. ⯀ No association between intake or levels and anxiety. ⯀ Higher intake or levels associated with increased anxiety.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Studies assessing vitamins and anxiety. ⯀ Higher intake or levels associated with decreased anxiety. ⯀ No association between intake or levels and anxiety. ⯀ Higher intake or levels associated with increased anxiety.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Studies assessing minerals and anxiety. ⯀ Higher intake or levels associated with decreased anxiety. ⯀ No association between intake or levels and anxiety. ⯀ Higher intake or levels associated with increased anxiety.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Studies assessing vegetables and/or fruit and anxiety. ⯀ Higher intake or levels associated with decreased anxiety. ⯀ No association between intake or levels and anxiety. ⯀ Higher intake or levels associated with increased anxiety.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Studies assessing phytochemicals and anxiety * Culinary Herbs: rosemary, cinnamon, coriander, basil, nigella; Herbal tea: chamomile, hibiscus, rose tea. ⯀ Higher intake or levels associated with decreased anxiety. ⯀ No association between intake or levels and anxiety. ⯀ Higher intake or levels associated with increased anxiety.
Figure 14
Figure 14
Studies assessing food allergies or sensitivities and anxiety. ⯀ Higher intake or levels associated with decreased anxiety. ⯀ No association between intake or levels and anxiety. ⯀ Higher intake or levels associated with increased anxiety.
Figure 15
Figure 15
Studies assessing the microbiome and anxiety. ⯀ Higher intake or levels associated with decreased anxiety. ⯀ No association between intake or levels and anxiety. ⯀ Higher intake or levels associated with increased anxiety.
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