Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
9.0
5.9
Journals
Nutrients
Special Issues
Bidirectional Link between Eating Habits, Lifestyle, Physical Exercise and Depression...
share announcement

Bidirectional Link between Eating Habits, Lifestyle, Physical Exercise and Depression and Other Mental Disorders

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 September 2024 | Viewed by 1796

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Carlo Pruneti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Clinical Psychology, Clinical Psychophysiology and Clinical Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
Interests: nutrition; psychopathology; mental illness; mood disorders; clinical health psychology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Sara Guidotti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Clinical Psychology, Clinical Psychophysiology, and Clinical Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
Interests: nutrition; psychopathology; clinical psychology; clinical neuropsychology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

About 280 million people in the world suffer from depression and 301 million suffer from anxiety, with a worldwide prevalence of 4.4% and 3.6%, respectively (WHO, 2019). These data are even more alarming considering that the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically exacerbated experiences of mental illness. Depression has many causes. Being a condition that affects psychophysical balance, it can, sometimes, be traced back to mental discomfort, whereas, in other cases, it can be linked to biological deficit. More specifically, deflected mood associated with marked psychopathology can generate serious behavioral and autonomic manifestations such as social withdrawal, apathy, asthenia, and anhedonia. However, sometimes specific medical conditions or nutritional deficiencies can generate mood alterations secondarily. For example, some nutritional deficiencies related to the poor absorption or intake of specific micronutrients (i.e., vitamins in group B, D, etc.) can mimic a depressive episode, manifesting as deficits in concentration and other cognitive symptoms.

In many cases, especially if the biological and autonomic alterations are primary, the integration of specific nutrients and micronutrients can be fundamental. Other times, however, an optimal lifestyle can assist traditional therapies or replace them if the period is critical (i.e., adolescence, post-partum, etc). Furthermore, sporting activities can also promote mental health by facilitating the release of specific neurotransmitters capable of making the autonomic nervous system more resilient.

Moreover, there are also psychopathological conditions related to eating and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders (i.e., orthorexia) that are capable of generating serious organic impairments.

The objective of this proposed Special Issue on “Bidirectional Link between Eating Habits, Lifestyle, Physical Exercise and Depression and Other Mental Disorders” is to publish selected articles detailing specific aspects of nutrition and other lifestyle interventions, such as participation in physical activity. Contributions describing the effects of mental health on lifestyle and physical health are welcome, as well as works illustrating how specific nutrients and micronutrients can promote better psycho-physical well-being.

Prof. Dr. Carlo Pruneti
Guest Editor

Sara Guidotti
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • depression
  • eating habits
  • lifestyle
  • physical activity
  • body–mind integration
  • autonomic imbalance
  • non-pharmacological treatments
  • nutritional deficit
  • biological abnormalities
  • psychopathology

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

11 pages, 272 KiB  
Article
Comparison between Physical Activity and Stress-Related Lifestyle between Orthorexic and Non-Orthorexic University Students: A Case–Control Study
by Sara Guidotti, Alice Fiduccia, Michele Murgolo and Carlo Pruneti
Nutrients 2024, 16(9), 1340; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16091340 - 29 Apr 2024
Viewed by 295
Abstract
(1) Background: The literature regarding orthorexia nervosa (ON) has well documented the association with other mental disorders, such as obsessive–compulsive and eating disorders. However, the research has not taken into account stress-related behavior and the conduction of physical activity (PA), both structured and [...] Read more.
(1) Background: The literature regarding orthorexia nervosa (ON) has well documented the association with other mental disorders, such as obsessive–compulsive and eating disorders. However, the research has not taken into account stress-related behavior and the conduction of physical activity (PA), both structured and unstructured. (2) Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 165 students of the University of Parma (92 females and 74 males) aged between 18 and 49 years old (mean = 24.62 ± 4.81) were consecutively recruited. The ORTO-15 questionnaire was used to divide the total sample into a group without orthorexia (score > 40) and a group with orthorexia (score < 40). All subjects completed the P Stress Questionnaire, and specific items were extrapolated from the Eating Habits Structured Interview (EHSI) to investigate lifestyle, including structured and unstructured PA. (3) Results: Subjects with orthorexia represented 83% of the total sample and reported higher levels of stress-related risk behaviors (i.e., sense of responsibility (t = −1.99, p = 0.02), precision (t = −1.99, p = 0.03), stress disorders (t = −1.38, p = 0.05), reduced spare time (t = −1.97, p = 0.03), and hyperactivity (t = −1.68, p = 0.04)) and a higher frequency of PA (i.e., hours spent training in structured PA, daily (t = −1.68, p = 0.05), weekly (t = −1.91, p = 0.03), and monthly (t = −1.91, p = 0.03), the tendency to carry out physical exercise even if tired (t = −1.97, p = 0.02), and to adhere to unstructured PA (i.e., moving on foot or by bike rather than using transport (t = 1.27, p = 0.04)). (4) Conclusions: The results confirmed the presence of hyperactivity at a motor and behavioral level in people with orthorexia. Further studies are necessary to highlight the causality between ON, stress, and physical activity but it may be possible to hypothesize that “obsessive” physical exercise may not generate the benefits generally known by the literature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bidirectional Link between Eating Habits, Lifestyle, Physical Exercise and Depression and Other Mental Disorders)
19 pages, 5885 KiB  
Article
Gastrointestinal Microbiota & Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety in Anorexia Nervosa—A Re-Analysis of the MICROBIAN Longitudinal Study
by Jasmin Ketel, Miquel Bosch-Bruguera, Greta Auchter, Ulrich Cuntz, Stephan Zipfel, Paul Enck and Isabelle Mack
Nutrients 2024, 16(6), 891; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16060891 - 19 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1047
Abstract
The microbiota–gut–brain axis may play a role in the pathophysiology of anorexia nervosa (AN). Here, the relationship between the gastrointestinal microbiota and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and eating disorder pathology in patients with AN before (n = 55) and after weight restoration [...] Read more.
The microbiota–gut–brain axis may play a role in the pathophysiology of anorexia nervosa (AN). Here, the relationship between the gastrointestinal microbiota and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and eating disorder pathology in patients with AN before (n = 55) and after weight restoration (n = 44) was investigated by reanalyzing the data of the MICROBIAN study. The gastrointestinal microbiota was analyzed using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Symptoms of anxiety disorder, depression, and the severity of the eating disorder were measured by validated questionnaires. All analyses were adjusted for the body mass index (BMI). Several significant findings between psychological parameters and the gastrointestinal microbiota were not evident after controlling for the BMI. No differences in alpha and beta diversity between groups of higher and lower symptom severity levels for depression and anxiety were found. Positive associations between species of Blautia and Ruminococcus and depression symptoms, and between the phylum Firmicutes and anxiety symptoms were observed after rehabilitation, respectively. A positive correlation was found between propionate and acetate levels and the reduction of depression severity during inpatient treatment. Accounting for the weight status when analyzing the relationship between psychological parameters and the gastrointestinal microbiota in patients with underweight is important since the BMI may be the driver for many observed changes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bidirectional Link between Eating Habits, Lifestyle, Physical Exercise and Depression and Other Mental Disorders)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop