Brussels, 2 July 2026 — 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. A new Horizon Europe-funded research project, NUTRIMIND (“Understanding Mental Health and Nutrition in Europe”), launched at the beginning of June, aims to explore how nutrition, dietary choices, the gut microbiome, and lifestyle factors might interact with mental health. The project will examine these relationships from childhood through older adulthood using data from multiple European population cohorts.

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.

The 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."

The NUTRIMIND consortium met in Wageningen, the Netherlands, for its official kick-off meeting on 2-4 June 2026, hosting a three-day programme of scientific, technical and operational workshops. The consortium includes partners from Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Austria, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Serbia and the United Kingdom, representing universities, research institutes, NGOs and SMEs.

EUFIC coordinates NUTRIMIND and contributes its expertise in science communication and stakeholder engagement. As coordinator, EUFIC will support collaboration among project partners, communication with the European Commission, the development of the Community of Practice, and the project’s communication, dissemination and exploitation activities. Through NUTRIMIND, EUFIC aims to contribute to a better understanding of the complex intersection between diet, the gut microbiome and mental health, and to support the development of evidence-based recommendations, tools and policy guidance.