Wageningen Food & Biobased Research and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam kick off Food4Mood: a three-year project which brings together academic and industry leaders in a public-private partnership, to investigate if a diet intervention in combination with food supplements can modulate the gut-brain axis to improve mental health.
Mental health problems among young adults in the Netherlands have risen significantly. Increasing evidence suggests that the food we consume impacts not only physical health but also emotional well-being, cognitive function, and mental health.
Citizen science
This project will explore whether switching to a plant-based, fibre-rich diet combined with dietary supplements, such as pre- and postbiotics, can support mental health by stimulating the gut-brain axis via our gut microbiome. Researchers will carry out a citizen science human intervention study involving young individuals with mild to moderate mental health challenges. Participants will follow personalized strategies and actively contribute to the project through sample and data collection—an approach designed to effectively translate healthy and sustainable dietary behaviour into real-life practice.
Improving mental health
“This initiative is a unique opportunity to connect and combine academic research with industrial innovation to create impact together on a societal relevant topic,” says project manager Nicole de Wit from Wageningen Food & Biobased Research. Remco Kort from VU Amsterdam adds: “By better understanding if and how fiber-rich, plant-based diets and dietary supplements can impact our microbiome and gut-brain axis, we can help to develop effective dietary strategies to improve mental health.”
Food4Mood is funded by Top sector Life Science & Health and a large multi-disciplinary consortium of partners: Keep Food Simple, The Akkermansia Company, Ani AI, DSM-Firmenich, Medex, MyMicroZoo, International Probiotics Association, HorAIzon, Gezondeboel, Stichting MDL fonds, GlycanAge.
Together, the consortium aims to generate impactful insights to advance diets, supplements, biomarkers, and technologies that promote mental well-being.