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Association between diet and mental health outcomes in a sample of 13,887 adolescents in Canada
The high prevalence of mental health issues in teenagers highlights the necessity of population-level and community-based preventative initiatives. Diet plays a critical role in preventing mental health issues among adolescents. Dabravolskaj et al. (2024) used data from a large longitudinal study of Canadian adolescents (ages 14–18) to explore the relationship between diet and mental health outcomes over time. The authors assessed the impact of baseline diet, specifically vegetable and fruit intake and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption, on depressive symptoms, anxiety, and psychological well-being (measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale–Revised, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 scale, and the Flourishing Scale) one year later. 13,887 secondary school students from Canada who took part in the COMPASS behavior study’s 2017–2018 and 2018–2019 cycles were included in the sample. Higher consumption of SSBs at baseline was associated with more severe depressive symptoms and anxiety, particularly in male students, as well as poorer psychological well-being at follow-up. On the other hand, a greater baseline intake of fruits and vegetables was associated with improved psychological well-being. Still, it had no discernible effect on other follow-up mental health outcomes. To lower the prevalence of mental health issues in this demographic, these findings lend credence to the incorporation of nutrition in all-encompassing methods for promoting and preventing mental health in teenagers. [NPID: Diet, adolescent mental health, sugar-sweetened beverages, vegetables, fruit, depressive symptoms, anxiety, psychological well-being, longitudinal study, prevention strategies]
Year: 2024
