New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS): If you are under high stress, following a Mediterranean diet -- rich in fruits and veggies, nuts and legumes -- may help, according to a research.

The research by a team from Binghamton University, State University of New York compared the Mediterranean diet versus the traditional Western diet to understand how diet influences stress.

Stress can be a precursor to mental distress, said Lina Begdache, Associate Professor of health and wellness studies, adding that the findings show people can lower their perception of how much stress they can tolerate by following a Mediterranean diet.

Begdache said the study, published in Nutrition and Health, "demonstrated that the Mediterranean diet lowers mental distress".

It "may be associated with a decrease in the negative components of perceived stress and an improvement in its positive attributes."

The Mediterranean diet is plant-based with healthy fats. It is rich in wholegrains, vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, and extra virgin olive oil; moderate in fish/shellfish; low to moderate in wine; and low in red/processed meats, dairy products, animal fat, and processed foods.

In direct contrast, the Western diet is known for its high concentration of high-glycemic and low-quality processed foods.

To assess the levels of perceived stress, the team conducted a survey of over 1,500 people. Machine learning model decoded the results to show that “consuming components of the Mediterranean diet is associated with lower levels of perceived stress and mental distress”

On the other hand eating “Western dietary components is correlated with perceived stress and mental distress”.

In addition to mental health risk, western diet -- rich in high sugar, salt and fat -- is also known for its bad effects on health. Research has shown it to contribute to the globally rising risk of non-communicable diseases like obesity, diabetes, hypertension and cancers.

A recent study, published in the journal Heart, showed the association between a Mediterranean diet and incident risk of cardiovascular disease CVD and death. Focusing especially on women, the study showed that a Mediterranean diet can boost your heart health and lower the risk of heart disease and death by nearly 25 per cent.