For all the attention paid to the negative effects poor dietary choices have on the body, the effects of diet on the brain are largely unexplored. However, emerging research is providing new insights to support the suggestion that food can have a profound influence on mental health and cognition. Recent research has linked poor diet, including diets high in junk foods, sugar or fat with cognitive deficits, depression and anxiety. Opinions collide over the validity of so-called “grain brain,” theory that processed carbohydrates, sugars, and even whole grains increase the risk for dementia by raising the glycemic index. Some of the newest research meanwhile suggests a relationship between mental health and microbiota in the gut.
