Acting without sufficiently considering the consequences, making hasty decisions or being carried away by emotions of the moment are some of the behaviours associated with impulsivity. In the past, several studies have linked this psychological trait to unhealthy habits, such as tobacco consumption, harmful substances and unhealthy foods, among others. It has also been associated with mental health problems and poorer overall health status. However, there was no clear scientific evidence in older populations without any diagnosed psychiatric disorder.
Now, a research team from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), the Institut de Recerca Biomèdica Catalunya Sud (IRBCatSud) and the Biomedical Research Networking Centre for the Pathophysiology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN) has demonstrated that following a low-calorie Mediterranean diet, engaging in physical activity and receiving behavioural support reduce impulsivity. The results have been published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, one of the scientific publications with the greatest international impact in the fields of psychology and psychiatry.
The team analysed data from 306 participants in the PREDIMED-Plus-Cognition study, which evaluates cognitive status and other factors related to the mental health of participants in the PREDIMED clinical trial. Volunteers were randomly assigned to two groups: one followed an intensive programme aimed at increasing adherence to a slightly calorie-restricted Mediterranean diet, increasing physical activity and reinforcing these changes through behavioural support; the other received only general recommendations to follow a Mediterranean diet. Impulsivity was assessed at the beginning of the study and during the three years of follow-up through personality questionnaires and cognitive tests.
Significant behavioural changes
After three years, participants who had followed the intensive lifestyle programme showed a significant reduction, between small and moderate, in impulsivity levels compared with the control group. More specifically, they improved impulsive personality traits, reducing tendencies such as acting without thinking about the consequences. Even more relevant was the change in their behaviour, as they improved their ability to make sound decisions, learning to prioritise long-term benefits over immediate rewards.
“This is the first time it has been shown that a multimodal intervention can regulate impulsivity in older adults, potentially helping to prevent the development of future chronic diseases,” states Carlos Gómez Martínez, postdoctoral researcher at Helse Vest and the University of Bergen (Norway). For Jordi Salas-Salvadó, Professor of Nutrition at the URV and co-leader of the study together with Gómez Martínez, adopting healthy habits not only improves physical health, but also promotes more reflective decision-making: “It could facilitate the maintenance of other healthy behaviours in the long term, contribute to preserving psychological well-being and foster a greater capacity for self-regulation.”
The study was carried out by researchers from the Human Nutrition Unit of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, the Institut de Recerca Biomèdica Catalunya Sud (IRBCatSud) and the Biomedical Research Networking Centre for the Pathophysiology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN). The research is part of the PREDIMED-Plus study, developed by several groups within the CIBER of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, and has received funding from the European projects Eat2BeNice and PRIME, as well as from various competitive projects of the ISCIII.
Reference: Gómez-Martínez C, Shyam S, Camacho-Barcia L, Margara-Escudero HJ, Babio N, Forcano L, Corella D, Cuenca-Royo A, de la Torre R, Jimenez-Murcia S, Pintó X, Fitó M, Fernández-Carrión R, Matura S, Franke B, Haavik J, Fernández-Aranda F, Salas-Salvadó J. Three-year effects of a multidomain lifestyle intervention on impulsivity: Results from a randomized clinical trial. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. 2026. doi: 10.1159/000550126.
A new study by IRB CatSud and ISGlobal links teenagers’ nutrition with emotional wellbeing, cognitive performance, and long‑term decision‑making
Adolescence is a key period for brain development, and eating habits play an essential role in this process. A new study led by the Institut de Recerca Biomèdica Catalunya Sud (Southern Catalonia Biomedical Reseach Institute – IRB CatSud, formerly IISPV), includes the participation of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by the “la Caixa” Foundation, shows that eating ultra‑processed foods is linked to more emotional and behavioural difficulties. On the other hand, following the Mediterranean diet is associated with better executive function. The study, titled Dietary Patterns and Neuropsychological Function in Adolescents: A Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Study, has been published in BMC Medicine.
The study, carried out by the Clinical and Epidemiological Neuroscience Research Group (NeuroÈpia) at IRB CatSud. The research analyses data from a sample of 653 adolescents aged 12 to 16 from the metropolitan area of Barcelona (Smart-Snack study). It highlights the importance of nutrition during adolescence, a stage where the brain is still developing, especially the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in decision‑making and impulse control.
Eating habits were assessed using food‑frequency questionnaires that measured adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the intake of ultra‑processed foods. Neuropsychological function was evaluated through standardised computerised tests that measured attention, working memory, fluid intelligence, decision‑making, and emotional recognition. Behavioural and emotional outcomes were also assessed using validated questionnaires.
Opposite effects on the teen brain
The results show clear differences between the two eating patterns. According to Alexios Manidis, the lead researcher, a higher intake of ultra‑processed foods—such as sugary drinks, industrial pastries, and ultra-processed meats—is linked to poorer performance in emotional recognition and sustained attention. Teenagers who consume more ultra‑processed foods also report more symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as more behavioural problems.
In contrast, greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet—rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and olive oil—is linked to fewer behavioural problems and better scores in executive attention.
However, in the six-month follow-up, only initial ultra-processed food consumption showed longitudinal associations with internalizing symptoms and decision-making, while Mediterranean diet adherence showed no longitudinal effects. “This may suggest that Mediterranean diet benefits require ongoing adherence, while the effects of ultra-processed foods may be more persistent,” comments Manidis, reinforcing the importance of maintaining healthy habits consistently.
Objective validation through biomarkers
The study also analysed urinary biomarkers in a subsample of 257 participants. The results show that adolescents who consume more ultra‑processed foods have fewer compounds from plant‑based foods and more compounds linked to food processing, confirming the reliability of dietary questionnaires.
Christopher Papandreou, Assistant Professor at the Hellenic Mediterranean University (Crete, Greece) and senior co-author of the study, notes that “teenagers’ diets are shifting towards ultra-processed foods” and warns that this change “may be contributing to the rise in mental health problems among young people”.
Jordi Julvez, head researcher of the NeuroÈpia Research Group at the IRB CatSud and ISGlobal, reminds us that “adolescence is a period of great brain reorganisation” and explains that diet “can influence how teenagers regulate their emotions and make complex decisions”.
The researchers conclude that future strategies, such as replacing processed snacks in schools with nutrient‑dense options like nuts and fresh fruit, could be effective in improving emotional regulation and cognitive function in the long term.
Bibliographic reference of the study
Manidis, A., Ayala-Aldana, N., Bernardo-Castro, S., Pinar-Martí, A., Galkina, P., Fernández-Barrés, S., Ramirez-Carrasco, P., Lamuela-Raventós, R. M., Papandreou, C., & Julvez, J. (2026). Dietary patterns and neuropsychological function in adolescents: a cross-sectional and longitudinal study. BMC Medicine, 10.1186/s12916-026-04658-6. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-026-04658-6
A study led by URV also concludes that there is still insufficient evidence to confirm that this diet improves the outcomes of assisted reproductive treatments
Infertility affects one in six adults worldwide and has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a public health issue. Several studies conducted on men in developed countries have raised concerns about a decline in semen quality, potentially linked to unhealthy lifestyle habits. Stress, smoking, alcohol consumption, drug use, and poor dietary choices are among the main risk factors associated with reduced sperm quality.
The analysis encompassed 11 original studies involving a total of 2,558 men, examining the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet—rich in fruits, vegetables, olive oil, fish, nuts, and whole grains—semen quality, and/or various fertility parameters.
The findings revealed that men who closely followed this dietary pattern had a higher sperm count, with improved total and progressive motility, as well as a greater proportion of sperm with normal morphology. These results were observed both in healthy individuals and in patients attending fertility clinics.
However, the authors caution that, although semen quality was superior among participants with greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet, there is still no conclusive evidence that this diet directly enhances outcomes in medically assisted reproduction.
“While the Mediterranean diet appears to have a positive effect on semen quality, further research is needed to determine its actual impact on male fertility,” the research team noted.
The study’s findings form part of Rashmi Agarwal’s doctoral thesis, supervised by Albert Salas-Huetos, lecturer at URV; Nancy Babio, associate professor at the university; and Jordi Salas-Salvadó, professor and head of the Food, Nutrition, Development and Mental Health research group at URV, the Institut Sanitari Pere Virgili (IISPV), and CIBERobn at the Instituto de Salud Carlos III.
Bibliographic reference: Agarwal R, Salas-Salvadó J, Davila-Cordova E, Shyam S, Fernàndez de la Pont M, Azurmendi M, Bavi N, and Salas-Huetos A. Mediterranean diet, semen quality and medically assisted reproductive outcomes in the male population. 2025; 100454. doi: 10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100454