Hannah Cloud

Professor Dean Leonard

English 1201.509

29 June 2019

Annotated Bibliography

The purpose of my research is to find what the connection is between an unhealthy diet

and mental health. To be more specific, what is the connection when looking at teens and young

adults? As the topic of mental health is more prevalent now than it ever has been, I want to find

out why so many young teens and young adults suffer from mental health disorders and if it has

anything to do with the junk/fast food we have come to rely on. These mental health disorders

include anxiety, depression, bipolar illness, eating disorders, OCD, and several more.

Abbasalizad Farhangi, Mahdieh, et al. "Mental Health Problems in Relation to Eating Behavior

Patterns, Nutrient Intakes and Health Related Quality of Life among Iranian Female

Adolescents." PLoS ONE, vol. 13, no. 4, Apr. 2018, pp. 1-15. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.137/journal.pone.0195669.

The association between snacking, junk food, and meal skipping has been proven to

cause some kind of mental health disorder and has been shown in several studies around the

world. The conductors of this research found that there is a connection between the unhealthy

eating habits of high-school aged Iranian females and emotional disorders. The researchers

explain the connection that women have with mental health issues are more prevalent than with

men for a variety of different reasons.

Farhangi, Dehghan, and Jahangiry show the prevalence that unhealthy eating habits have

on adolescent female Iranian's mental health status. They are targeting the parents of students
that may be suffering from a mental issue. They could also be targeting the young adults who

rely on food that isn't nutritional and the side effects it is causing them. The research was

conducted in a high-school in Iran and provides specific data on the array of females within the

school.

Mahdieh Abbasalizad Farhangi and Parvin Dehghan, are both Associate Professors of

Nutrition at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Iran. They both have a PhD in Nutrition.

Leila Jahangiry is an assistant professor at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. This source

was published in April of 2018, making it relevant and current research to use. The article was

published on EBSCOhost, making it an appropriate, reliable, and credible source.

I plan to use this research to explain the connection between unhealthy foods and the

certain mental health issues that emerge with them. There are components in junk food that will

cause a certain issue regarding a female’s mental health. This study explains these elements and

the authors include foods that can help improve the mental health issues someone is facing.

El Ansari, Walid, et al. "Food and Mental Health: Relationship between Food and Perceived

Stress and Depressive Symptoms among University Students in the United Kingdom."

Central European Journal of Public Health, vol. 22, no. 2, June 2014, pp. 90-97.

EBSCOhost, doi:10.21101/cejph.a3941.

The authors of this research found that stress and depression was more evident in

females. They also found that depression was more prevalent on the males than stress was. The

research has found that certain food types would increases the stress/depression females were

having and certain foods that would decrease their stress/depression. The article compares how

the two sexes react to different food groups and compares this data.
 The writer’s purpose in this research study is to bring awareness to campuses to help

them create health promotion and prevention programs. Unhealthy eating habits are modifiable,

meaning we can do something to help them. The researchers found the connection and are

hoping that the schools, campuses, and universities make a change to decrease the levels of stress

and depression that the students are facing. The research was conducted across seven universities

to solely connect the relationship between unhealthy food and mental issues, and to show the

diversity between the countries.

Walid El Ansari is a professor in Public Health at the University of Gloucestershire in the

United Kingdom. He also has a Doctorate Degree in Public Health. Walid El Ansari was

appointed a member of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and is a Board

Member to the European Consortium for Cross National Student Health Behavior Research in

Germany. Hamed Adetunji is a professor in Public Health and Health Informatics at Umm Al

Qura University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Reza Oskrochi is a professor in Technology,

Design and Environment at Oxford Brookes University in the United Kingdom. Reza also has a

Ph.D. This research article was published in 2014, making it current enough for the research I am

conducting. This information is also credible and reliable as it is from three credible authors who

are familiar with the subject. This article was also published by EBSCOhost, making it more

credible.

This article will give me more insight on the college aged students, both male and female,

as it discusses the different mental issues each sex faced from eating unhealthy food. The article

also gives specific food groups that affect a person's mood. I will be able to compare the food

components in this article to the other articles.

"Food for Thought: Mental Health and Nutrition Briefing." Mental Health Foundation, Mar.

2017, www.mentalhealth.org/uk/sites/default/files/food-for-thought-mental-health-

nutrition-briefing-march-2017.pdf

The Mental Health Foundation has recommendations as to what people should be eating

to help protect their mental health. This article discusses the key components to having a positive

mental health, including fruits, vegetables, vitamins, minerals, and acids. They also discuss what

consuming processed foods and additives, will do to the physical and mental health of an

individual. The Mental Health Foundation didn't just focus on the connection of food and mental

health, but other factors including poor physical health, poverty, obesity, and alcohol

consumption. The article shows the connection between mental health and physical health.

This article is intended to help the general public. They give specific details about what

food should be eaten and other dietary recommendations. The Mental Health Foundation is

promoting good habits that people should take in order to protect their vital organs. The brain is a

big part of the body that is affected by the foods that we eat and their purpose is to help

individuals become aware of these foods.

The Mental Health Foundation is a UK charity that campaigns for good mental health for

everyone. Their mission is help people understand what mental health is and how to protect it.

The Mental Health Foundation is partners with several credible organizations including the

Mental Health Policy Group, Children and Young People's Mental Health Coalition, Children's

Rights Alliance for England (CRAE), and many more. The Mental Health Foundation was

established 70 years ago and continues to fight for their vision to educate on mental health. The

article was written in 2017, making it a relevant source for research purposes.
 This article gives insight on the essential vitamins and minerals, what they effect in the

body, and which foods they can be found in. They also give information about specific mental

health problems, including depression, schizophrenia, dementia, ADHD, and eating disorders.

This information will help me be more specific in my research about the mental health issues and

the vitamins/minerals that contribute to them.

McQuillan, Susan. "Foods and Supplements That May Help Fight Depression." PsyCom,

Remedy Health Media, LLC, 20 Mar. 2019, www.psycom.net/food-supplements-fight-

depression-mental-health.

This article talks about studies that show the positive impact that eating fruits and

vegetables has on someone’s mental health. They also discuss a survey done at the University of

Otago in New Zealand that found that students who ate more raw fruits and vegetables showed

fewer signs of mental illness than students that ate canned and processed produce. McQuillan

added in information about the Mediterranean Diet and how this correlated to a better mental

health. The article mentions the effects of omega-3 deficiency and connects it to depression.

Susan McQuillan’s purpose in this article was to explore what dietary habits can result in

a more positive and overall better mental health. She is targeting the general public and includes

surveys on young adults as well as adults over 65 years old.

This article was written by Susan McQuillan, has a Master of Science degree in Nutrition

and Dietetics. She is also a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. The founder of the PsyCom website

is Dr. Ivan Goldberg, who is a renowned Psychiatrist and Clinical Psychopharmacologist. These

two sources for this article are credible and reliable. This article was published in 2019 which

makes the information relevant.

 This article will be used as background information for a connection in supplement use in

improving mental illnesses. It will also be used to compare the diets mentioned with other diets

studied to see how the connections relate. I will be able to use this article to cite the specific

foods to that are proven to help mental health.

Pryor, Laura, et al. "Food Insecurity and Mental Health Problems among a Community Sample

of Young Adults." Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology, vol. 51, no. 8, Aug.

2016, pp. 1073-1081. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s00127-016-1249-9.

This article discusses food insecurity, which is when people do not have or lack access to

nutritious foods to be able to maintain a healthy life. These individuals have no choice but to rely

on foods and snacks that are considered non-nutritive. The effects of food insecurity have shown

a link to mental health, especially suicidal ideation and drug use with younger adults and

depression within older adults.

This article should be used to show public officials the effect that there are many

communities in which the individuals suffer from food insecurities. This results in an increase in

mental health issues among the younger and older generations. This study adds to all of the other

research out there and contributes to it. The community this article reaches should take action to

decrease the prevalence of food insecurities.

Laura Pryor has a Ph.D. in Public Health with a specialization in Health Promotion. She

is faculty at Sorbonne University in Paris. Sandrine Lioret and Judith E.B. Van de Waerden each

have a Ph.D. and are faculty at the French Institute of Health and Medical Research. Eric

Fombonne is a M.D. and has been working since 1986. Bruno Falissard is an MD and has a

Ph.D. He is a Child and Adolescent psychiatrist and also a professor in biostatistics. Lastly,
Maria Mechior is a research director at the French Institute of Health and Medical Research and

a Doctor of Social Work. This group of people and the authors of this article are all clearly

credible and are able to provide information on the topics of food insecurity and mental health.

This research article was published in June of 2016 on EBSCOhost, making it relevant and

reliable information.

I plan to cite the information presented in this article when discussing the communities

that food nutrition affects. Each of different age group and sexes reacts to the consumption of

"bad" food differently. This article provides information about the younger generations as well as

the older ones.

Schiffman, Richard. "Can What We Eat Affect How We Feel?" The New York Times, 28 Mar.

2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/03/28/well/eat/food-mood-depression-anxiety-nutrition-

psychiatry.html.

The article is a story about a doctor, Dr. Drew Ramsey, an assistant clinical professor of

psychiatry at Columbia University. This doctor had told a patient to incorporate oysters into their

diet to improve their overall well-being and was surprised when the patient was back after eating

36 of them. There are studies included about the benefits on mental health that fruits and

vegetables carry. There are several more creditable sources mentioned, including Dr. Emily

Deans, Samantha Elkrief, Dr. Lisa Mosconi. Each of these people offer insight on what foods are

appropriate to eat in order to protect the body.

The article is written for the general public, perhaps more of the literate up-scale society

that would be found reading an article in The New York Times. This article is meant to show

people that what you eat does affect the way that you feel.
 This article was written by Richard Schiffman. This author reports on the environment

and health for many different publications. Although the author himself isn't necessarily qualified

to discuss this topic, he includes many reliable sources and studies. The article was published in

March of 2019, making it relevant information. This article was published on The New York

Times website, which is a credible source that many people rely on to publish relevant

information.

This article connects some important studies and I will be able to cite this article when I

need relevant information from them. This article talks about the foods that are good for mental

health as well as diets to go along with them. The article also has tips from credible doctors as to

what foods people should be eating.

Selhub, Eva. "Nutritional Psychiatry: Your Brain on Food." Harvard Health Publishing, 5 Apr.

2018, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nutritional-psychiatry-your-brain-on-food-

201511168626.

Eva Selhub writes about a certain neurotransmitter in the body that is linked to many

different things- including sleep, appetite, moods, and pain. This neurotransmitter is responsible

for how you absorb foods, which ultimately lead to back to mental health. She also links many

diets to mental health.

This article was intended to be shown to the general public. Since it was published on the

Harvard Health site, it is probably for college students. However, diet and nutrition are

something that everyone can do a better job at and because of that, I would say everyone could

be the audience.
 This article was published on the Harvard Health Publishing website. This is a well-

known and credible site. The author is Eva Selhub, who is a Doctor of Medicine and a staff

member at Harvard Medical School. The author is credible and seems to have the knowledge to

back up the claims presented in the article. This article was published in November of 2015 but

has since been updated (April 2018). This website seems to be a reliable source and is suitable

for academic research.

This article contains many links to other credible sources that I will be able to use in my

research paper. I will also use this article to include information about the neurotransmitter in our

body relates to mental health and food.