Epigenetic Pathways from Dietary Fat to Psychopathology

A generally energy-dense diet high in saturated fat (an HFD) has a range of suboptimal mental health consequences, some of which are brought about via epigenetic mechanisms. A broad range of psychopathologies are exacerbated, if not caused, by an HFD, especially during the sensitive perinatal period and epigenetic pathways at least partly overlap with those arising from stress generally. The epigenetic effects of an HFD are not simply the result of global stochastic changes in metabolism but reflect the context, sex, timing and tissue-dependent specificity characteristic of epigenetic processes. Further detailing this specificity of action is the key challenge to understanding how an HFD impacts the brain. These consequences for mental health can be long-term and heritable—but they are also potentially reversible by improving the diet and other lifestyle factors.