Dietary intake of people with severe mental illness: systematic review and meta-analysis

Scott B Teasdale, Philip B Ward, Katherine Samaras, Joseph Firth, Brendon Stubbs, Elise Tripodi, Tracy L Burrows

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

187 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Severe mental illness (SMI) is thought to be associated with lower diet quality and adverse eating behaviours contributing towards physical health disparities. A rigorous review of the studies looking at dietary intake in psychotic disorders and bipolar disorder is lacking.

AIMS: To conduct a systematic, comprehensive evaluation of the published research on dietary intake in psychotic disorders and bipolar disorder.

METHOD: Six electronic databases were searched for studies reporting on dietary intakes in psychotic disorders and bipolar disorder. Dietary-assessment methods, and dietary intakes, were systematically reviewed. Where possible, data was pooled for meta-analysis and compared with healthy controls.

RESULTS: In total, 58 eligible studies were identified. People with SMI were found to have significantly higher dietary energy (mean difference 1332 kJ, 95% CI 487-2178 kJ/day, P = 0.002, g = 0.463) and sodium (mean difference 322 mg, 95% CI 174-490 mg, P < 0.001, g = 0.414) intake compared with controls. Qualitative synthesis suggested that higher energy and sodium intakes were associated with poorer diet quality and eating patterns.

CONCLUSIONS: These dietary components should be key targets for preventative interventions to improve weight and other physical health outcomes in people with SMI.Declaration of interestS.B.T. and E.T. have clinical dietitian appointments within the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District and do not receive any further funding.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)251-259
Number of pages9
JournalThe British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science
Volume214
Issue number5
Early online date20 Feb 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2019

Keywords

  • Health behaviour
  • bipolar disorder
  • obesity
  • physical health
  • schizophrenia

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