FUNDERS
What we eat plays a central role in our health throughout life. There is strong evidence that both a Mediterranean diet (MD) and a Western diet (WD) affect our health if they are followed over many months or years. It is currently unknown if these diets can change our health in the short-term, over a couple of days.
The MediMood study is designed to explore the immediate impacts of a plant based Mediterranean diet (MD) and a Western diet (WD) on mood, anxiety and brain functions (cognition).
If the MediMood study is of interest, please read the Participant Information Sheet and contact us.
If you take part in the study we will ask you to follow a pre-planned MD and WD, each for 5-days. We will ask you to only consume specific foods, which we will provide. Both diets have been designed by an expert nutritionist team and include widely available commercial foods.
To be able to assess the effects of these diets, we will invite you to our Clinical Research Facility based at the Quadram Institute, University of East Anglia, on four separate occasions (twice for each diet). We will conduct several measurements, such as cognitive tasks and an MRI brain scan, and collect a range of biological samples. We will also ask you to wear a watch to measure your sleep during the two 5 day study periods.
We are currently recruiting
To take part in our study, you need to;
We will assess the levels of your current adherence to a Mediterranean diet and anxiety/depression status, using validated questionnaires.
Please do contact us if you would like to know more!
If you need support with your wellbeing or mental health, there are many services available which are ready to support you. Please call your GP at first instance. If you are a student or a staff member at UEA, you can also contact the university wellbeing services.
There are also several charities available for support including Mind and Samaritans who have volunteers to listen to you through helplines/nightlines. Please find the contact details below:
If you have any questions or comments about the study, please email us via medimood@uea.ac.uk or call us on +44 (0) 1603 591949
Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ
The MediMood is an independent research study, not for profit.
The photos on this website are taken from Unsplash and iStock.