NUTRIMIND consortium partners at the project kick-off meeting in Wageningen, the Netherlands, 2–4 June 2026

NUTRIMIND (“Understanding Mental Health and Nutrition in Europe”) will examine these relationships from childhood through older adulthood.

Mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression affect millions of people across Europe and are increasingly recognised as closely linked to diet, nutrition, social inequalities and broader lifestyle factors.

During the four-year project researchers, health experts, data scientists, citizen scientists and stakeholder engagement specialists from across Europe will work together to understanding of links between diet, the gut microbiome, and mental health.

NUTRIMIND brings together 16 organisations, coordinated by the European Food Information Council (EUFIC), with expertise spanning nutrition science, mental health, microbiome research, artificial intelligence, citizen science, public health, food data and behavioural sciences.

NUTRIMIND aims to improve understanding of these interactions by combining existing data from large-scale cohort analyses, dietary and biomarker data, microbiome and multi-omics approaches, AI-supported modelling, and citizen engagement activities.

Dr Maria Traka from the Quadram Institute’s Food and Nutrition National Bioscience Research Infrastructure will lead on harmonising the dietary and mental health data from the multiple cohorts, spanning different ages.

Quadram Institute group leader Prof. Falk Hildebrand is leading the microbiome analysis work package, bringing his expertise in using the latest genomic and bioinformatic techniques to understanding how the composition and function of gut microbiome communities affect mental health.

Collectively, the partners in the NUTRIMIND project will:

• Analyse and integrate existing data from European cohorts and studies

• Explore dietary and lifestyle factors associated with positive mental health outcomes

• Identify nutrition- and microbiome-related signatures associated with mental health trajectories

• Strengthen evidence for prevention-focused approaches to mental health

• Support development of practical tools, recommendations and policy guidance

A strong emphasis will also be placed on stakeholder engagement and co-creation through a Community of Practice involving citizens, researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers and others to ensure that project outputs are relevant, inclusive and accessible.

“Whilst growing evidence points to connections between nutrition, the gut microbiome and mental health, important knowledge gaps remain,” said Giacomo Sini, NUTRIMIND project coordinator. “NUTRIMIND will bring together large-scale European data, advanced analytical approaches and citizen engagement to better understand these relationships and support future evidence-based strategies for prevention and public health.”

“For a long time we have suspected that nutrition can play a key role in shaping our mental health and wellbeing and this project will provide the opportunity to put robust evidence behind this” said Dr Maria Traka.

“Our work will allow dietary data across different studies in UK and Europe to become directly comparable and uncover foods and nutrients that have an impact on our mental health.”

“The link between our gut bacteria and their influence on our moods and motivations is becoming more evident from various research projects from around the globe” commented Prof. Hildebrand.

“In NUTRIMIND, we try to combine some of the key studies with newly generated complimentary datasets, to find robust associations between meals, microbes, metabolites and mental health. I’m very much looking forward to the challenging but rewarding work with a great international team.”

You can find out more and keep up to date with NUTRIMIND on the EUFIC website

This project is funded by the European Union