Nutrition and Mental Health

Mental health has become a major issue of public health, and economic and social concern across Europe. A healthy dietary pattern can affect mental health and well-being through anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, neurogenesis, microbiome- and immune-modifying mechanisms, as well as through epigenetic modifications[[ Maurizio Muscaritoli, The Impact of nutrients on mental health and well-being: insights from the literature. Frontiers in Nutrition, mini review 8 March 2021.]]. A good nutritional status is important for maintaining normal body function and adequate growth and development and preventing or mitigating the dysfunction induced by internal or external factors. Environmental psychology has demonstrated the positive impact of healthy nutrition on self-perception, self-efficacy, and successful relationships, as well as on several psychological constructs.

Moreover, alteration of the microbiome could also have an impact on neurodevelopment and neurodegenerative disorders as microbiome has been linked to several mental illness such as depression, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia[[ Hayley A Young, Nutrition research reviews (2023) 36, 471-483.]].

The proposals should address all the following activities:

• establish the specific food groups, beverages, macro and micronutrients needed in a daily diet (from food sources or to be integrated to the daily diet) to prevent the development of mental health disorders in Europe and explore the need to characterise and supplement a healthy diet with specific macro and micronutrients in children, adults, and older population affected by specific diseases related to mental health disorders through interviews and literature review;
• establish, through a mapping of the most recent research and innovation projects, the 3-axis ‘diet-gut microbiome-host-health’ interplay to elucidate some molecular mechanisms and the causal relationship between changes in the gut microbiome and some mental health disorders (including the establishment of possible relevant biomarkers as necessary);
• provide recommendations and develop specific communication materials for prevention campaigns, in line with international and national health and dietary advice and related policies, for national authorities and for nutritional professionals, to communicate the link between healthy diets and mental health, as well as the need to supplement a healthy diet with macro- and micronutrients and/or adapt dietary patterns to prevent mental health disorders to patients;
• provide recommendations on how established deficiencies or excess intake of macro and micronutrients could be addressed, in line with international and national health and dietary advice and related policies, including means to increase or decrease nutrients in the diet, in particular in vulnerable groups.

The information is collected for different ranges of the population in Member States and Associated Countries. Experts, which make the link between the role of food groups, beverages, macro- and micronutrients to mental health, should work closely in identifying the main food groups, beverages, macro- and micronutrients needed or to be limited in a daily diet and which are linked to specific mental health disorders and the possible development of mental disease.

The involvement of citizens and civil society, including Citizen Science approach is encouraged as an appropriate research methodology/approach for this topic. Particular efforts should be made to ensure that the data produced in the context of this topic is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable).

The proposals should include a dedicated task in the workplan and appropriate resources to collaborate with the projects funded under this topic.

The proposals must implement the 'multi-actor approach' and ensure adequate involvement of all relevant stakeholders and value chain actors including industry, nutritionists, healthcare professionals, scientists, patients, consumers associations. The active participation and engagement of different stakeholders should span the entire project development and implementation to ensure performance and sustainability and maximise the final impact.

The proposals should involve the effective contribution of SSH disciplines.

Where relevant, the proposals could consider complementarities and avoid duplication with other related funded projects. In particular ERA4Health partnership and the Nutribrain call topic[[ https://era4health.eu/nutribrain-2024/]] and JPND’s ERA-NET Cofund (JPcofund2) and the project ‘EURO-FINGERS multimodal precision prevention toolbox for dementia in Alzheimer’s disease’, which included nutritional guidance[[ https://www.neurodegenerationresearch.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/PROJECT-EU-Fingers.pdf]] (Call - Better Health and care, economic growth and sustainable health systems (H2020-SC1-BHC-2018-2020) [[ https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/wp/2018-2020/main/h2020-wp1820-health_en.pdf]].