The Diet and Depression course provides a comprehensive exploration of the relationship between nutrition and mental health, focusing on evidence-based strategies to manage depression. The program is divided into two units, each addressing critical aspects of diet and mental health.
Unit 1: Diet and Mental Health – Prevention and Patterns
This unit examines the foundational role of diet in mental health, including:
- Epidemiological Evidence: Explore global data linking dietary quality to mental health outcomes and the growing prevalence of diet-related disorders.
- Dietary Patterns Across Life Stages: Learn how nutrition during early life, adolescence, and adulthood impacts brain development and mental health.
- Key Dietary Factors: Understand how high intakes of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low consumption of ultra-processed foods support mental health.
- Stress and Comfort Eating: Examine the psychological and physiological effects of comfort eating and its implications for mood regulation.
Unit 2: Gut Health, Interventions, and Barriers
This unit delves into advanced topics, including:
- Gut-Brain Axis: Discover the bidirectional communication between gut health and mental well-being, including the role of gut microbiota in regulating mood and cognition.
- Dietary Interventions for Depression: Review clinical evidence supporting the Mediterranean diet and the SMILES trial, which demonstrated significant improvements in depressive symptoms through nutritional changes.
- Barriers to Dietary Change: Explore the psychological, social, and physiological challenges patients face in adopting healthier dietary habits and strategies to address them.
- Practical Implementation: Learn how to motivate patients, use SMART goals, and create tailored nutrition plans that are culturally and socioeconomically sensitive.
This course equips healthcare professionals with actionable insights to leverage dietary strategies in managing depression. By addressing barriers and fostering collaboration, participants will enhance patient outcomes and contribute to the growing field of nutritional psychiatry.
All degree qualified medical practitioners.