Global and epidemiological perspectives on diet and mood

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) account for the largest burden of early mortality and are predicted to cost the global community more than US$30. trillion over the next 20. years. Unhealthy dietary habits, in large part driven by substantial changes to global food systems, are recognized as major contributors to many of the common NCDs, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. Recent evidence now indicates that unhealthy diets are also risk factors for mental health disorders, particularly depression. This understanding now affords a new way of conceptualizing and approaching mental health disorder prevention and treatment. There is now an urgent need to elucidate the role of diet in bidirectional gut-brain communication and for the informed development of new preventive and therapeutic interventions for these disorders based on modification of diet, the gut microbiome, and immune function.