The Effect of Dietary Interventions on Human Vascular Function in the Context of Acute Psychological Stress: A Scoping Review

Episodes of acute psychological stress increase the risk for cardiovascular diseases, partially through stress-induced impairments in vascular function. During psychologically stressful periods, individuals are more likely to consume unhealthy foods and fewer fruits and vegetables. Yet, the impact of dietary choices and their nutritional composition on vascular function in the context of psychological stress is unclear. In this scoping review, comprehensive database searches were carried out to identify articles reporting on studies investigating the effect of diet on vascular function in the context of psychological stress. A total of 523 articles were screened, 20 of which were selected for data extraction based on the inclusion criteria, which required that a dietary component, a psychological stress protocol, and a vascular outcome measure all were included. Some nutrients or bioactives were hypothesized to impair vascular responses to psychological stress (n = 8 articles), whereas others were postulated to be protective during psychological stress (n = 9 articles). In all studies that tested whole-diet interventions (n = 3), the interventions were hypothesized to be protective. Preliminary evidence suggests saturated fat consumption impairs the recovery of vascular function after psychological stress, whereas plant bioactives (eg, cocoa flavanols, nitrates) and vitamin C may be protective during psychological stress. The findings are mixed; nevertheless, this review provides recommendations for research to investigate how dietary choices can modify the impact of psychological stress on vascular health.