Amanda's Wellbeing Podcast

This week Olivia Swann shares the results of her PhD where she looked at dietary fibre intake and its association with inflammation and depression in adolescents. This is important work because, according to the Black Dog Institute, one in four young people aged 16-24 are living with a mental disorder. Most research about diet and mental health has focussed on adults; Olivia was keen to conduct research on this topic in adolescents and see if what they eat, in this case, dietary fibre, impacts depressive symptoms.We preface our discussion with some information about dietary fibre, what the known health benefits are and the recommended amounts we should consume. Olivia analysed the diets of adolescents and found, not surprisingly, that the majority of teenagers do not eat enough dietary fibre, not even close to it! Check out my Five Minute Food Facts podcast about dietary fibre for some general information about the sources and health benefits of fibre (link below).Overall, Olivia found that high dietary fibre