Adherence to MIND Diet and Risk of Recurrent Depressive Symptoms: Prospective Whitehall II Cohort Study

This study explored the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet and risk of recurrent depressive symptoms (DepSs). The analysis included 4,824 participants (73% men, mean age: 61, SD: 5.9) from the British Whitehall II cohort study. MIND diet scores were calculated using a validated 127-item food frequency questionnaire from 2002–2004. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D, score ≥16) or antidepressant use, with recurrence defined as experiencing DepSs in at least two of four follow-up phases (2002–2004, 2007–2009, 2012–2013, and 2015–2016). Over 13 years, 13.3% of participants experienced recurrent DepSs. After adjusting for confounders, those in the highest MIND diet adherence tertile had 26% lower odds of recurrent DepSs (OR = 0.74; 95% CI: 0.58–0.93) compared to the lowest tertile. Among the 14 MIND diet components, green leafy vegetables (OR = 0.59; 95% CI: 0.45–0.78), other vegetables (OR = 0.43; 95% CI: 0.24–0.77), and berries (OR = 0.74; 95% CI: 0.61–0.89) showed independent protective associations. Higher adherence to the MIND diet, particularly increased consumption of vegetables and berries, was linked to a lower risk of recurrent depressive symptoms. This association remained significant even after adjusting for socio-economic factors, health behaviors, baseline cognitive function, and prior DepSs.

Year: 2024

Reference: Arshad, H., Recchia, D., Head, J., Holton, K., Norton, J., Kivimaki, M., & Akbaraly, T. N. (2024). Adherence to MIND Diet and Risk of Recurrent Depressive Symptoms: Prospective Whitehall II Cohort Study. Nutrients, 16(23), 4062. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16234062

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