Minding the greens: Role of dietary salicylates in common behavioural health conditions

Abstract

The role of artificial food additives and food chemicals in abetting certain behavioural conditions has been the subject of behavioural nutrition research over several decades. However, a few studies have also raised questions regarding a similar role possibly played by naturally occurring phytochemicals in general and salicylates in particular. Such studies have, however, been rather few and far between. More importantly, till date, there has been no attempt to collate the findings from the few studies that have been carried out at different points in time by different researchers across different countries and cultures. This gap in the extant body of knowledge is made especially prominent by the fact that naturally occurring salicylates abound in many green vegetables and fruit, which are common constituents of a healthy diet. The aim of this review article is two-fold - firstly, to collate and present the related researches on the effects of salicylates in general and natural salicylates in particular on mental health; and secondly, to identify promising research directions for the future.