From observation to intervention: time to put ‘food and mood’ to the test

It is well documented that the UK is in the midst of a mental health crisis that healthcare services are grappling with.1 This issue is not limited to the UK, and in 2018 it was estimated that more than one in six people in the European Union suffered from a persistent mental health issue.2 Mental health disorders include a wide range of conditions and severities, including but not limited to: anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, addiction disorders, bipolar disorders and schizoaffective disorders. Mental well-being was previously artificially dichotomised into either an absence or presence of mental illness, but there is now a greater appreciation for mental health and well-being existing on a continuum. As mental health has become more widely understood and appreciated, many have looked beyond traditional interventions to more novel mechanisms. This is true of food, and nutrition. As such, the need for good-quality research and dedicated space in international journals has grown accordingly, making this special collection on Food, Mood and Mental Health, one of great interest but also one of great importance. Mental ill health is the result of a complex, multifactorial aetiology, unique to each individual, but with a universally detrimental effect on society. It has been estimated that suffering from depression can shorten healthy life years, with an impact comparable to smoking.3 In 2009/2010, the estimated costs of mental health problems in England alone stood at over £105 billion, comprised of direct healthcare costs, loss of productivity and human suffering, an increase of 36% from a previous iteration of a study in 2002/2003.4 The COVID-19 pandemic has added further cause for concern with experts warning that up to 10 million people may require new or additional mental health support in the wake of the pandemic.5 Current main treatments for mental illnesses include …