| Abstract: |
The burden of mental health disorders, especially anxiety and depression, on the population in India is immense and increasing with 197.3 million people identified to be living with mental disorders in 2017. Although there has been progress in pharmacotherapy, there is still a gap of 70-92 percent in treatment, and thus, complementary, culturally aligned interventions are critically needed. The paper will analyze the Sattvik diet a classic Ayurvedic food system of pure, non-processed foods such as whole grains, fruits, nuts, legumes, and medicinal herbs as an adjunctive method of treating anxiety and depression. The systematic review method was applied, which was based on peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2025 and found in PubMed, Google Scholar, and MEDLINE. The hypothesis was that frequent Sattvik dietary compliance is a significant factor in lowering the level of anxiety and severity of depression mediated by the gut brain axis, biosynthesis of tryptophan-serotonin and anti-inflammatory pathways. Cross-sectional, interventional, and meta-analytic studies provide evidence that Sattvik dietary components change the gut microbiome composition, increase serotonin synthesis, and reduce cortisol levels, which provide observable effects in GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores. The Sattvik diet is a safe, affordable and culturally-based complementary approach to mental health management in India. |
