Improved Overall Mood during Military Basic Combat Training (BCT), including lower Anxiety, Fatigue and Depression, is associated with changes in nutritional and metabolic state

Abstract

Relationships between mood and markers of nutritional and metabolic state, such as cholesterol, have been observed, but mechanisms accounting for these are obscure. During BCT, mood dramatically improves; anxiety, fatigue, confusion and depression decline over 60%. These changes occur rapidly and consistently due to the intense, structured nature of BCT, permitting an examination of relationships between concurrent changes in cognitive and metabolic state. We studied 35 females in U.S. Marine BCT, a physically and mentally challenging 12‐week course. Mood, assessed with the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire, and nutritional, metabolic and hormonal markers in plasma were assessed every 4 weeks. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated variation in HDL‐ and LDL‐cholesterol, fructosamine, triglycerides, free fatty acids, dehydroepiandrosterone‐sulfate, adrenocorticotropic hormone and substance P accounted for 44% of variation in anxiety, 40% confusion, 37% fatigue, 27% depression and 40% total mood occurring during BCT (p<.00001). Overall, positive changes in metabolic and hormonal status of female trainees during BCT accounted for a substantial proportion of individual variation in anxiety, fatigue and depression, as well as overall mood. We are not aware of previous work where a substantial proportion of human mood state could be accounted for by plasma markers. Supported by MRMC.