Abstract
Individuals with mental illness have poorer physical health, nutritional status, and lowered life expectancy. Optimising their physical and nutritional status has become an increasingly important therapeutic goal. Current experience with COVID-19 has further emphasised the susceptibility to physical illness and poorer outcomes amongst individuals with mental illness and those who are nutritionally compromised. Although life as we knew it has been suspended until the widespread roll-out of a vaccine, individuals can take immediate action to improve physical and mental health by attending to and optimising their nutritional well-being. Clinicians within mental health services have a crucial role to play in assisting such change, and reminding their patients of the importance of pursuing a healthy and balanced diet.
Highlights
Current life expectancy in Ireland, based on 2017 data, is 84 years for women and 80.4 years for men
There has been a seismic shift in the understanding of the importance of a balanced diet to our health and longevity
There is very good evidence of the role of nutritional manipulation going beyond calorie restriction and weight loss
Summary
Current life expectancy in Ireland, based on 2017 data, is 84 years for women and 80.4 years for men. (https:// www.gov.ie/en/publication/f1bb64-health-in-irelandkey-trends-2019/accessed August 29 2020). Poor dietary choices and resultant higher BMIs, in those economically more disadvantaged, may well be driven by lower cost; it is influenced by other lifestyle habits such as smoking and excess alcohol consumption and lower physical activity, behaviours found in those with severe mental illness (Bort-Roig et al 2020; Dipasquale et al 2013). The end result is an individually specific microbiome either promoting or hindering physical, cognitive, and mental health It is, not surprising that a consistent relationship between the quality of diet and health in adults has been found, over and above other potential confounders of social-economic class, education, and even BMI (O’Neil et al 2014). Given physical health is often poor amongst mental health services users, coupled with difficulties in self-motivation and self-care, psychiatrists could play a crucial role in reviewing and advising about healthy lifestyle choices,
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