“If you had a heart attack, someone on your health-care team would ask you about what you eat—but those conversations are often absent from mental health care,” says Monique Aucoin ND, MSc.*
Studies have shown that proper nutrition can lead to a reduced risk of depression and improved symptoms of major depressive disorder. However, research into the effect of nutrition on anxiety is limited. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) affects 8.7% of Canadians and 3.1% of Americans—women are affected 2x more than men. Dr. Aucoin and colleagues present a first of its kind study in the journal of Nutritional Neuroscience: Over 440 women were interested in enrollment, 46 met the DMs-5 criteria and were confirmed by a psychiatrist to have GAD. The 46 women attended a mean of 6.4 one-on-one sessions with a naturopathic doctor over 12 weeks and then completed a questionnaire.
The 12-week intervention included:
- Dietary counseling:
- Motivational interviewing: goal setting, action planning, personalized recommendations
- Omega-3 supplements
- Mediterranean diet education
- Activities: mindful eating, nonhunger food cravings
“Our findings highlight how diet-based interventions can complement traditional treatments, especially for those who may not fully respond to conventional approaches,” says psychiatrist Laura LaChance, MD, MSc.**
Findings include:
- 84% of participants strongly agreed that “My experience during this study was positive”
- Mean anxiety symptom severity score: 26.2 at baseline, 11.0 at week 12
- Diet quality score: 7.2 at baseline, 10.5 at week 12
- Mean baseline anxiety score in women who were waitlisted: 29.3 at baseline, 26.8 at week 12
- Average Beck Anxiety Inventory score = 55% reduction
A large-scale study is called for.
Sources:
Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine. First-Ever Study of its Kind Explores the Role of Nutrition in Managing Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Sep 26, 2024.
Aucoin et al. Dietary counseling plus omega-3 supplementation in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder: results of a randomized wait-list controlled pilot trial (the ‘EASe-GAD Trial’). Nutritional Neuroscience. 2024:1-14. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1028415X.2024.2403901.
* Senior Research Fellow at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) and Adjunct Professor at the University of Guelph
**Study co-investigator and Adjunct Research Scientist from CCNM