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Association between dietary fiber intake and suicidal ideation: a cross-sectional survey
Dietary fiber is known to improve mental health, but limited studies are exploring the link between fiber-rich foods and suicidal ideation. This study by Huang et al. (2024) aims to determine whether dietary fiber consumption raises the risk of suicidal ideation. The authors used the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2007-2018) data on 21,865 adult Americans. Using item nine of the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), data analysis evaluated the association between dietary fiber consumption and suicidal thoughts. The authors found a correlation between dietary fiber consumption and a 5% lower risk of suicidal thoughts, with each extra gram of fiber per 1000 kcal per day accounting for 5% of the reduction. However, beyond an intake of 7.8 g/1000 kcal/day, further increases in fiber intake did not further decrease the risk of suicidal ideation. The results point to possible clinical and public health advantages of a high-fiber diet by demonstrating that a greater dietary fiber intake may lower the likelihood of suicidal thoughts. Further intervention studies are needed to determine if increasing dietary fiber can help prevent or reduce suicidality. [NPID: Cross-sectional study, dietary fiber, NHANES, suicidal ideation, nine-item patient health questionnaire]
Year: 2024
