Final Paper. The Effects of Fruit and Vegetables on Mental Health

The Effects of Fruit and Vegetables on Mental Health
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The Effects of Fruit and Vegetables on Mental Health
Summary of the general media piece
Introduction
Most people are well aware of the physical health benefits of increasing the consumption of fruit and vegetables, but little has been realized about its connection to mental health too. Building on research on the topic, findings from the UK Household Longitudinal Study on more than 40,000 participants showed that fruit and vegetable consumption was directly proportional to mental well-being and life satisfaction even after considering other factors that influence mental health.
Methods
The study using standardized measures for fruit and vegetable portions (1 cup of raw vegetables, ½ cup cooked vegetables or chopped fruit, whole fruit), found that one portion could equate week's walk in terms of the effect on mental health. The study only tested the impact of bread and dairy, which presented a limitation. Another survey of the same showed the impact on positive mental elements like motivation, although no effect on the regressive effects like depressive symptoms. The latter, however, used a randomized study and shorter period-two weeks.
Results and Interpretation
Universal causality is an essential question in the study as fruit and vegetable intake can predict the likelihood of depression, but the reverse does not hold. The study still needs extensive research to establish if the link between fruit and vegetable consumption and mental wellbeing is causal. Biological mechanisms that connect fruit and vegetable chemical properties to physical are a cheaper approach to the study than randomized controlled trials.
Summary of the original work
Introduction
Numerous have been conducted to find the link between fruit and vegetable intake and mental well-being will substantial results showing the linkage between the two. Although the studies have been able to navigate social, economic, and demographic variables, the cross-sectional nature of the data is the main challenge in the research. To establish causality, different researchers tested different variables under controlled situations like the difference between fresh, cooked, and canned fruits and vegetables. Despite the different approaches and variable manipulation in the studies, there was an essential link between the consumption of fruits and vegetables to the mental well-being of the participants.
Hypothesis
Establishing the causality link between fruit and vegetable intake and mental well-being was the main objective of the study. One of the most significant studies on the effect of fruit and vegetables on mental well-being was by White et al. (2013) where the researchers aimed at finding the resulting short term effects based on whether the impact was either positive or negative instead of focusing on the general health and satisfaction. The relationship between the positive or negative impacts and fruit intake was also a focus in the study but did not show any reversal connection between the two. Other studies found the relationship between lifestyle choices like diet brought the individual variation even if the amount of fruit intake ...