Polyphenol-Rich Beverages and Mental Health Outcomes

Abstract

Emerging evidence suggests that diets rich in plant-based foods and beverages may exert plausible effects on human health tackling the risk of chronic diseases. Although the data are promising for numerous outcomes, including cardiovascular diseases, the data on mental health are limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between individual polyphenol-rich beverages intake and mental health outcomes, such as perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and sleep quality, among adult individuals living in the Mediterranean area. The demographic and dietary characteristics of a sample of 1572 adults living in southern Italy were analysed. Multivariate logistic regression analyses, controlling for confounding factors, were used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the association between individual polyphenol-rich and alcoholic beverages containing polyphenols and mental health outcomes. The multivariate model adjusted for background covariates and the Mediterranean diet showed that individuals with a moderate intake (up to 1 cup/glass per day) of coffee and tea were less likely to have high perceived stress (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.45–0.84) and depressive symptoms (OR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.39–0.80), respectively. Furthermore, regular coffee and moderate/regular red wine drinkers were less likely to have depressive symptoms (OR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.54–0.95 and OR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.54–0.99, respectively). No significant associations were retrieved for the intake of polyphenol-rich and alcoholic beverages and sleep quality. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggest that polyphenol-rich beverages may be associated with mental health, in terms of depressive symptoms and perceived stress. Nonetheless, further research exploring how the polyphenol-rich beverages impact brain health and what the optimal patterns of consumption are for different populations are warranted.

Personalizing Nutrition Strategies: Bridging Research and Public Health

“…Foods rich in polyphenols are involved in the modulation of neurotrophin levels, neurotrophic factors essential in neuronal proliferation and found in olive oil and olives [ 257 ]. Cocoa is another nutritional source with nutraceutical and neuroprotective properties, although it should be consumed in its purest form [ 258 , 259 ]. This is important because cocoa is usually consumed with sugar, which is undoubtedly detrimental for anxiety and depression.…”

Therapeutic potential of berries in age-related neurological disorders

“…Recent research suggests that a specific flavonoid, cyanidin-3-Oβ-glucopyranoside, may improve cognitive function in AD by increasing levels of PGC-1α, a protein involved in cellular energy metabolism, in vivo (Seong et al, 2016). Furthermore, studies have shown that other flavonoids, including dihydromyricetin (Liu et al, 2018), fisetin (Yang W. et al, 2019), icariside II (Yin et al, 2018), curcumin (Li et al, 2015), and genistein (Valles et al, 2010;Bonet-Costa et al, 2016) may also have potential benefits for AD by regulating the AMPK/PGC-1α pathway (Micek et al, 2022). Flavonoids influence neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) via the AMPK/PGC-1α pathway, and an antioxidant beverage Frontiers in Pharmacology frontiersin.org including polyphenols can reduce total tube homocysteine levels (Liu et al, 2020).…”

“…Studies suggest that antioxidant-rich berry fruit supplements may offer a promising alternative for managing conditions like anxiety, depression, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease (Olas, 2018;Micek et al, 2022). These findings point towards specific phenolic metabolites, such as quercetin and rutin, present in berry extracts potentially triggering anti-inflammatory responses through the modulation of oxidative stress (Khan et al, 2023).…”

Validation of N-Methylpyridinium as a Feasible Biomarker for Roasted Coffee Intake

“…Coffee is constantly in the focus of scientific research because of the high prevalence of its consumption and the impact of the brew on, e.g., mental health [5], physical and cognitive performance [6,7], emotions [8], and overall health [9]. In particular, the putative coffee-derived health benefits and hazards concern national healthcare systems, the coffee industry, and the individual consumer.…”