Dietary Factors, Time of the Week, Physical Fitness and Saliva Cortisol: Their Modulatory Effect on Mental Distress and Mood

Lina Begdache, Saloumeh Sadeghzadeh, Paul Pearlmutter, Gia Derose, Pragna Krishnamurthy and Ahyeon Koh
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Lina Begdache: Health and Wellness Studies, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA
Saloumeh Sadeghzadeh: School of Management, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA
Paul Pearlmutter: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA
Gia Derose: Department of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA
Pragna Krishnamurthy: Department of Integrative Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA
Ahyeon Koh: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 12, 1-17

Abstract: Background: The purpose of the study was to assess the effect of diet quality and physical fitness on saliva cortisol, mood, and mental distress. These relationships were compared between a peak weekday (Wednesday) and a weekend day (Saturday) when mood may fluctuate. Methods: Forty-eight healthy college students participated in the study. Participants completed the Mood and Anxiety Symptom (MASQ) and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale 10 questionnaires on Wednesday and Saturday and recorded their diet for three days. Saliva was collected before and after a workout for cortisol extraction. Results: SA had significantly higher saliva cortisol levels post-workout but lower MASQ scores on Saturday ( p < 0.05). There was a very significant association between MASQ scores on Wednesday ( p = 0.005), which became less significant on Saturday. In addition, lower BMI values and high-fat consumption were associated with higher cortisol levels after exercise ( p < 0.05). Conclusions: There is a strong link between dietary factors, cortisol levels, mood, and time of the week. In addition, our results suggest that saliva cortisol levels may not be directly linked to negative affect but are influenced by diet quality when mental distress exists. In addition, physical fitness may play a role in improving mood during weekends.

Keywords: time of the week; exercise; diet; saliva cortisol; mood; mental distress (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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