1. What essential nutrients do you consider most critical for supporting mental health and performance?

B vitamins, iron, magnesium and omega-3 fats all deserve attention, but the priority depends on the person. Their roles range from maintaining nerve function and oxygen delivery to supporting energy metabolism and the structure of brain-cell membranes.

The distinction I emphasize is that a nutrient can be essential for brain function without additional amounts improving brain function. Someone with vitamin B12 deficiency may develop neurological symptoms, even without anaemia. Identifying and treating that deficiency matters enormously. The same supplement should not be expected to improve concentration in someone whose B12 requirements are already being met.

Context helps establish the priority. Heavy menstrual bleeding raises concern about iron deficiency; a vegan diet or problems with absorption raise different questions about B12. These are specific reasons to investigate, whereas low mood or poor concentration alone cannot tell us which nutrient, if any, is involved.

My starting point is therefore to ask what nutritional limitation we have reason to suspect, and what evidence would show that addressing it helps.

2. How can nutritional biochemistry inform our understanding of the link between diet and mental health?

Nutritional biochemistry explains what has to happen between consuming a nutrient and experiencing a benefit. Nutrients must be absorbed, transported and used by cells, and their effects depend on the biological conditions they encounter.

Magnesium, for example, participates in energy production and nerve signalling. Understanding those functions explains why adequate magnesium matters. Establishing whether supplementation improves someone’s anxiety, mood or performance requires an additional step: testing those outcomes in people.

This was central to my presentation: we need to consider adequacy, access, timing, control and the existing state of the system. Is the nutrient in short supply? Can it reach the relevant tissue? Is there still an opportunity to influence the outcome? Is its availability actually limiting the process we want to change?

B12 illustrates this well. A person may consume enough but absorb too little because of gastrointestinal disease, surgery or certain medications. Looking only at their diet could miss the problem.

That way of thinking helps explain why two people with similar symptoms can respond very differently to the same intervention.

3. What practical dietary changes would you recommend for individuals looking to improve their mental wellbeing?

I would start by making everyday meals more nutritionally complete and easier to sustain. Include a dependable protein source, eat vegetables and fruit regularly, and make room for beans, lentils, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Oily fish can contribute omega-3 fats.

There is clinical evidence behind improving the overall dietary pattern. In the small, 12-week SMILES trial, adults with depression who received structured dietary support experienced greater improvement than those receiving a social-support intervention. The dietary program was used alongside existing care, which is how I would frame its practical value.

For a South African household, this could involve familiar foods such as oats, eggs, lentils, beans, leafy vegetables and tinned pilchards. Frozen vegetables and canned foods can make consistency more achievable. I would also review caffeine intake, particularly large doses or consumption later in the day, because disrupted sleep can undermine what someone is trying to achieve.

My practical recommendation is to choose two changes you can repeat on a difficult week. Depression can make shopping and cooking harder, so useful advice has to account for cost, energy and appetite. A dietary plan should reduce the burden of looking after yourself.

4. Can you discuss any recent advancements in nutritional science that have implications for mental health treatment?

One development I find particularly interesting is research into differences in metabolism among people with depression. A 2025 study examining almost 8,000 people experiencing depressive episodes identified three distinct metabolic patterns. This supports investigating whether people who share a diagnosis may need different biological approaches. It does not yet establish a test that can tell a clinician which nutrient or treatment to prescribe.

Another example is research on creatine, which helps cells maintain their energy supply. In a pilot randomised trial published in 2025, 100 adults with depression received cognitive behavioural therapy alongside either creatine or placebo. The creatine group showed greater improvement in depressive symptoms over eight weeks. This is an encouraging preliminary finding, although larger and longer trials are needed before it can be considered an established depression treatment.

The broader opportunity is to become more precise about who benefits, under what conditions and why. That is where I think nutritional science can make some of its most meaningful contributions to mental healthcare.

5. How do you address the challenges of misinformation regarding nutrition and mental health in the public sphere?

I try to make the reasoning visible. When someone says an ingredient “supports the brain,” I want to know what was actually demonstrated. Was it a biochemical effect in a laboratory, a change in a blood marker, or a meaningful improvement in how people felt and functioned?

Those findings answer different questions. A mechanism can justify studying a treatment, but clinical benefit has to be demonstrated. Likewise, correcting a deficiency, treating an existing disorder and enhancing performance in a healthy person are separate claims. Evidence for one cannot automatically substantiate the others.

I also look at who was studied, the dose and formulation used, the comparison group, the size of the benefit and whether independent researchers have reproduced it. A citation should support the claim being made, including its limits.

Finally, communication needs to respect people who are struggling. Mental illness has biological, psychological and social dimensions, and nutrition is one potential part of care. People deserve explanations that help them make informed decisions without making them feel responsible for their illness or promising more than the evidence can deliver.