NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT OF PSYCHOSOMATIC DISEASES: THE ROLE OF SPICES AND PERSONALIZATION BASED ON TEMPERAMENT ABSTRACT

T.I. Anistratenko

doi:10.32402/

Authors

T.I. Anistratenko Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1112-6242 Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32402/

Keywords:

psychosomatic pathology, eating behavior, psychological stress, spices, saffron, curcuma, personalized nutrition, temperament.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE. To summarize current scientific evidence on the role of nutrition and spices in the nutritional support of patients with psychosomatic diseases and to substantiate a conceptual model for personalizing dietary recommendations with consideration of individual psychological characteristics, particularly temperament.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. A narrative analysis of the scientific literature was performed, with priority given to systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and randomized controlled trials published predominantly between 2020 and 2026. Evidence concerning stress, overall dietary quality and psychological well-being, personalized nutrition, the microbiota-gut-brain axis, and the clinical effects of selected spices and their bioactive compounds was analyzed.

RESULTS. The review addresses the relationship between psychological stress and eating behavior and the role of overall dietary quality in psychoemotional status; outlines the promise and limitations of personalized nutritional interventions; analyzes current evidence on the clinical effects of spices, particularly saffron and curcumin, considering differences in bioavailability between standardized extracts and culinary doses; and presents a conceptual approach to temperament as a modifier of how dietary recommendations are implemented within a multilevel model of nutritional support.

CONCLUSIONS. Nutritional support should be considered an integral component of comprehensive care for patients with psychosomatic diseases. Spices may serve as a means of sensory personalization of a healthy dietary pattern, while the promising evidence on saffron and curcumin requires cautious clinical interpretation. Consideration of temperament may be useful for adapting behavioral strategy and improving adherence to dietary recommendations; however, the proposed model requires further clinical validation.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

1. Hill D, Conner M, Clancy F, Moss R, Wilding S, Bristow M, et al. Stress and eating behaviours in healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Health Psychol Rev. 2022;16(2):280–304.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2021.1923406

2. Loughman A, Staudacher HM, Rocks T, Ruusunen A, Marx W, O'Neil A, et al. Diet and mental health. In: Cowan CSM, Leonard BE, editors. Microbes and the mind: the impact of the microbiome on mental health. Basel: Karger; 2021. p. 100–12. (Modern Trends in Psychiatry; vol. 32).

doi: https://doi.org/10.1159/000510422

3. Shyam S, Lee KX, Tan ASW, Khoo TA, Harikrishnan S, Lalani SA, et al. Effect of personalized nutrition on dietary, physical activity, and health outcomes: a systematic review of randomized trials. Nutrients. 2022;14(19):4104.

doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14194104

4. Cross V, Stanford J, Gomez-Martin M, Collins CE, Robertson S, Clarke ED. Do personalized nutrition interventions improve dietary intake and risk factors in adults with elevated cardiovascular disease risk factors? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Rev. 2025;83(7):e1709–21.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuae149

5. Lau Y, Wong SH, Chee DGH, Ng BSP, Ang WW, Han CY, et al. Technology-delivered personalized nutrition intervention on dietary outcomes among adults with overweight and obesity: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression. Obes Rev. 2024;25(5):e13699.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13699

6. Petersen KS, Davis KM, Rogers CJ, Proctor DN, West SG, Kris-Etherton PM. Herbs and spices at a relatively high culinary dosage improves 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure in adults at risk of cardiometabolic diseases: a randomized, crossover, controlled-feeding study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;114(6):1936–48.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqab291

7. Mahmoudi R, Mohammadi-Sartang M, Servatyari K, Rafieipour N. Effect of saffron on depression, anxiety and mood disorder: a GRADE assessed systematic review and meta-analysis of 34 randomized controlled trials. Nutr Neurosci. 2026;29(7):816–37.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/1028415X.2025.2602153

8. Shafiee A, Jafarabady K, Seighali N, Mohammadi I, Rajai Firouz Abadi S, Soltani Abhari F, et al. Effect of saffron versus selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in treatment of depression and anxiety: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Rev. 2025;83(3):e751–61.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuae076

9. Wang Z, Zhang Q, Huang H, Liu Z. The efficacy and acceptability of curcumin for the treatment of depression or depressive symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2021;282:242–51.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.12.158

10. Musazadeh V, Faghfouri AH, Falahatzadeh M, Mahmoudinezhad M, Alizadeh M, Shidfar F. Efficacy of curcumin in depression: a grade-assessed systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Ann Gen Psychiatry. 2026 Jul 19.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12991-026-00676-z

11. Heidari H, Bagherniya M, Majeed M, Sathyapalan T, Jamialahmadi T, Sahebkar A. Curcumin-piperine co-supplementation and human health: a comprehensive review of preclinical and clinical studies. Phytother Res. 2023;37(4):1462–87.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.7737

12. Mackonochie M, Rodriguez-Mateos A, Mills S, Rolfe V. A scoping review of the clinical evidence for the health benefits of culinary doses of herbs and spices for the prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome. Nutrients. 2023;15(23):4867.

doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15234867

13. Huang Y, Petersen KS, Kris-Etherton PM, Edirisinghe I, Sandhu AK, Burton-Freeman BM. Phytochemicals from herbs and spices: their absorption, metabolism, and relationship to clinical outcomes. Nutr Rev. 2026;84(Suppl 1):29–36.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuag022

14. Esposito CM, Ceresa A, Buoli M. The association between personality traits and dietary choices: a systematic review. Adv Nutr. 2021;12(4):1149–59.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmaa166

15. Komasi S, Rezaei F, Hemmati A, Rahmani K, Amianto F, Miettunen J. Comprehensive meta-analysis of associations between temperament and character traits in Cloninger's psychobiological theory and mental disorders. J Int Med Res. 2022;50(1):3000605211070766.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/03000605211070766

16. Firth J, Gangwisch JE, Borsini A, Wootton RE, Mayer EA. Food and mood: how do diet and nutrition affect mental wellbeing? BMJ. 2020;369:m2382.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m2382

17. Jacka FN, O'Neil A, Opie R, Itsiopoulos C, Cotton S, Mohebbi M, et al. A randomised controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression (the ‘SMILES’ trial). BMC Med. 2017;15(1):23.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-017-0791-y

18. Firth J, Marx W, Dash S, Carney R, Teasdale SB, Solmi M, et al. The effects of dietary improvement on symptoms of depression and anxiety: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Psychosom Med. 2019;81(3):265–80.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000000673

19. Lassale C, Batty GD, Baghdadli A, Jacka F, Sánchez-Villegas A, Kivimäki M, et al. Healthy dietary indices and risk of depressive outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Mol Psychiatry. 2019;24(7):965–86.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-018-0237-8

20. Bizzozero-Peroni B, Martínez-Vizcaíno V, Fernández-Rodríguez R, Jiménez-López E, Núñez de Arenas-Arroyo S, Saz-Lara A, et al. The impact of the Mediterranean diet on alleviating depressive symptoms in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Rev. 2025;83(1):29–39.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuad176

21. Lane MM, Gamage E, Travica N, Dissanayaka T, Ashtree DN, Gauci S, et al. Ultra-processed food consumption and mental health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Nutrients. 2022;14(13):2568.

doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14132568

22. Cryan JF, O'Riordan KJ, Cowan CSM, Sandhu KV, Bastiaanssen TFS, Boehme M, et al. The microbiota-gut-brain axis. Physiol Rev. 2019;99(4):1877–2013.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00018.2018

23. Horn J, Mayer DE, Chen S, Mayer EA. Role of diet and its effects on the gut microbiome in the pathophysiology of mental disorders. Transl Psychiatry. 2022;12(1):164.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-022-01922-0

24. Marx W, Lane M, Hockey M, Aslam H, Berk M, Walder K, et al. Diet and depression: exploring the biological mechanisms of action. Mol Psychiatry. 2021;26(1):134–50.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-020-00925-x

25. Power D, Jones A, Keyworth C, Dhir P, Griffiths A, Shepherd K, et al. Emotional eating interventions for adults living with overweight and obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of behaviour change techniques. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2025;38(1):e13410.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.13410

26. Tae H, Chae JH. Irregular meal frequency and depressive symptoms: moderating roles of dietary diversity and breakfast skipping. J Affect Disord. 2026;404:121417.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2026.121417