Deakin trial explores links between food and mood

Can diet changes and an increase in enjoyable physical activity help to improve the wellbeing of those experiencing serious mental health struggles?

A clinical trial hoping to determine the answer to this very question is currently seeking to recruit an additional 200 study participants.

Led by Deakin University’s Food & Mood Centre, the HARMON-E trial is an eight-week, group-based, telehealth trial seeking to improve the mental health of adults who are experiencing depression or bipolar disorder using lifestyle-based therapies.

Lead researcher Professor Adrienne O’Neil said the trial was an incredible opportunity for eligible individuals eager to support the centre’s world-leading research to receive the equivalent of $650 in free treatment and contribute to a study that has the potential to help a significant number of people.

Participants will be randomly allocated to one of two programs, one is led by clinical psychologists and the other, allied health professionals including a dietitian and exercise physiologist.

Established in 2017 and led by Professor Felice Jacka, the Food & Mood Centre sits at the forefront of nutritional psychiatry and lifestyle therapy research, with the team’s trailblazing work attracting international attention from both industry peers and high-profile publications.

The centre is also responsible for developing the first set of guidelines for the use of lifestyle-based care in mental health treatment, accessible to any clinician in the world to help them understand the previous research undertaken in the field, as well as what recommendations can and should be made to their patients.

“We know from surveys around the world that most medical practitioners get about two hours’ worth of nutrition training in their whole many years of training and study, and yet a very large proportion of them make recommendations for supplements or particular diets without knowing what the evidence base is,” Professor Jacka said.

This, along with the average 17-year gap between when research evidence is generated and that information reaches the public, continues to motivate the team at the Food & Mood Centre to translate its findings into training and knowledge on the ground as quickly as possible.

Professor Jacka’s PhD was the first study in epidemiology to look at diet quality and clinicial depressive and anxiety disorders.

It was followed by a small clinical trial, which showed that dietary support can have a significant impact on the symptoms of people with even very severe, long-standing clinical depression, results that have been replicated in four subsequent trials.

“The important thing is, this has nothing to do with weight loss,” Professor Jacka said.

“Bodyweight does not explain the links we see between diet and mental health.

“It’s about nurturing your brain, your gut, your joy, your wellbeing through food. It’s not about removing things; it’s about adding things in.”

This led the team to conduct its ‘CALM trial’, which found that a lifestyle therapy approach to managing low-grade depression is just as clinically effective and cost effective as psychological care.

Professor O’Neil said the results of the CALM trail already presented enormous potential.

“We have got good evidence at the moment to suggest that allied health professionals, like dietitians and exercise physiologists, really are fundamental parts of mental healthcare teams for people who have low-grade depression.

“I think there’s a lot of utility there in terms of helping ease the burden on mental healthcare systems because we are seeing increases in the prevalence of mental health conditions.”

The HARMON-E trial is now seeking to replicate these results for those experiencing serious mental health struggles across a national cohort.

For more information, or to check if you’re eligible to participate in the study, head to foodandmoodcentre.com.au, call (03) 5227 2380 or email [email protected]