Consumption of dairy products and prevalence of depression and anxiety among adults

Consumption of dairy products and prevalence of depression and anxiety among adults

The association between dairy intake and the prevalence of anxiety and depression in Middle Eastern populations has not been investigated in other studies. Mofidi-Nejad et al. (2025) investigated the links between overall consumption of dairy products and the prevalence of depression and anxiety in a substantial adult population residing in Isfahan, Iran. A validated 106-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), based on the Willett format, was used to assess dairy intake in 3,362 subjects. The authors used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale to examine anxiety and depression (scores >8 were considered indicative of either condition). Fifty-eight point three percent of participants were female, with an average age of 36.2 years. According to initial analysis, people in the highest quintile of dairy intake were 40% less likely to suffer from depression than people in the lowest quintile, an observation that persisted even after adjusting for a number of covariates. While a significant association between dairy intake and anxiety was observed, this association was no longer significant after adjusting for confounders. In conclusion, higher dairy consumption was linked to a lower risk of depression, but no significant association was found with anxiety. The authors recommend conducting further prospective studies to validate these findings. [NPID: Diet, dairy, depression, anxiety, psychological health, cross-sectional]

Year: 2025

Reference: Mofidi-Nejad, M., Milajerdi, A., Hassanzadeh Keshteli, A., Afshar, H., Adibi, P., & Khadem, A. (2025). Consumption of dairy products and prevalence of depression and anxiety among adults. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, 44(1), 247. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41043-025-00974-4

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