A Mediterranean Diet Is Linked to Lower Depression, Anxiety and Stress

What we eat may shape not only our physical health but our mental wellbeing, and a large review published in late 2025 adds substantial weight to that idea. Appearing in the journal Nutrition Research Reviews on 6 November 2025 — and later selected as the Nutrition Society's Paper of the Month — the systematic review pooled evidence from 104 studies spanning 22 countries to ask whether a Mediterranean-style diet is good for the mind.

The answer was consistent and encouraging. Across diverse populations, people who followed a Mediterranean diet more closely — one rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, olive oil and fish, with little processed food — reported lower levels of depression, anxiety and stress, along with better overall quality of life. Of the studies examining anxiety, 16 of 22 found a protective association, and all eight that looked at stress found that higher adherence went hand in hand with less of it. The review also pointed to the landmark SMILES trial, in which a Mediterranean-style dietary intervention helped some people with major depression achieve remission.

“Appearing in the journal Nutrition Research Reviews on 6 November 2025 — and later selected as the Nutrition Society's Paper of the Month — the systematic review pooled evidence from 104 studies spanning 22 countries to ask whether a Mediterranean-style diet is good for the mind.”

The review, led by Robel Hussen Kabthymer of Monash University in Australia, drew on both observational studies and clinical trials, with research contributed most heavily by Iran, Spain, Australia and Italy. The authors highlight plausible biological mechanisms: the diet's antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and its tendency to nurture a healthier gut microbiome, all of which can influence the brain.

A measured reading is important. Most of the included studies were observational, which can show associations but cannot by themselves prove that diet causes better mental health; people who eat well may differ in many other ways. Diet is also not a substitute for professional care when someone is struggling. Even so, the consistency of the findings across so many countries is striking, and the practical takeaway is genuinely hopeful: a way of eating that is widely accessible, good for the heart and the planet may also be a simple, everyday support for the mind.