Association between fruit and vegetable consumption and depression symptoms in young people and adults Aged 15–45: A systematic review of cohort studies

The aim of this 2021 systematic review was to examine the relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and depressive symptoms among young people and adults aged 15-45. Although the association between fruit and vegetable intake with mental health has already been identified, there have been limited studies involving young people and adults. A total of 12 studies (found in the systematic search) met the criteria of analyzing fruit and vegetable intake (separately and/or together), with depression or depressive symptoms as the outcomes. One of the studies was of “very good” quality, while nine studies were “good”, and two studies were deemed to be of “moderate” quality based on the measure (Newcastle-Ottawa Scale). Although most of the cohort studies supported the link between fruit consumption and lower risk of developing depression, inconsistencies were identified when analyzing the impact of vegetable intake independently and when the combined effect of fruit and vegetable consumption was evaluated. Nevertheless, the evidence seems to point to the validity of this association. Hopefully this data can be utilized to address the mental illness burden in young people and adults (aged 15-45 years). [NPID: depression, anxiety, depressive symptoms, fruits, vegetables, fruits and vegetables, systematic review, review, young people, adults]

Year: 2021

Reference: Dharmayani, P., Juergens, M., Allman-Farinelli, M., & Mihrshahi, S. (2021). Association between Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and Depression Symptoms in Young People and Adults Aged 15-45: A Systematic Review of Cohort Studies. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(2), 780. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18020780