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Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms in Spanish adolescents: results from the EHDLA study
Anxiety and depression are common incapacitating disorders in teenagers. This cross-sectional study by Jiménez-López et al. (2024) looked at the connection between teenage depression, stress, and anxiety symptoms and following the Mediterranean diet (MD). Participants (n = 698, 13.9 ± 1.5 years of age, 56.2% girls) submitted the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED) to measure adherence to the MD, in addition to the DASS-21 (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale) to assess mental health. Analysis of the results demonstrated that, even after adjustment, those with moderate and high adherence to the MD had significantly reduced risks of suffering from depressive symptoms than those with poor adherence. Concerning the symptoms of stress or anxiety, no meaningful correlations were discovered. Thus, according to their study, the authors conclude that stronger adherence to the MD is negatively connected to experiencing depressive symptoms among teenagers, regardless of anthropometric, socioeconomic, and lifestyle characteristics. Additional research on the importance of non-pharmacological measures to prevent and treat depressive symptoms in adolescents is crucial, given the detrimental implications of mental health disorders in youth. [NPID: Depression, adolescents, stress, anxiety, Mediterranean diet, Spain]
Year: 2024
