Association between healthy eating Index-2020 and anxiety: Insights from NHANES highlighting fruit and vegetable intake

Recent studies have indicated that nutrition may have an impact on anxiety, a common mental health issue. This study, conducted by Zhang et al. (2025), investigated the relationship between adherence to the Healthy Eating Index-2020 (HEI-2020) and anxiety levels among a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. Using cross-sectional data from 10,870 individuals in the NHANES (2007–2012), the researchers applied various statistical analyses, revealing that individuals with higher Healthy Eating Index-2020 (HEI-2020) scores—reflecting better diet quality—had a lower risk of anxiety. The relationship was particularly strong among women and those aged 40–65. Additionally, higher consumption of fruits and vegetables, as well as lower intake of added sugars, was specifically linked to reduced anxiety, regardless of overall dietary quality. These results suggest that improving diet quality could be a potential strategy for lowering anxiety risk, especially for middle-aged women. [NPID: Anxiety, diet quality, healthy eating index, fruits, vegetables, added sugars, NHANES, middle-aged adults, women, mental health]

Year: 2025

Reference: Zhang, L., Chen, Z., Xiao, Z., Wang, M., Wu, Z., Ma, Y., Wu, Y., Chen, Y., Li, J., Li, J., & Wang, C. (2025). Association between healthy eating Index-2020 and anxiety: Insights from NHANES highlighting fruit and vegetable intake. Journal of Affective Disorders, 385, 119421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2025.119421