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Dietary acid load, depression, and anxiety: results of a population-based study
Through many pathways, dietary acid load appears to be linked to psychiatric illnesses, which may obstruct therapy and recovery. The current cross-sectional study by Bahari et al. (2023) aimed to assess the association between dietary acid load and the severity of depression and anxiety in adults using scores for potential renal acid load (PRAL) and dietary acid load (DAL). Individuals ‘ dietary intakes were evaluated using a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) (n = 6531, ranging in age from 35 to 65 years). Using the PRAL and DAL scores, DAL was calculated. Tools such as the BAI (Beck Anxiety Inventory) and the BDI (Beck Depression Inventory) were used to test for depression and anxiety. Analysis of the results revealed that women with the highest DAL or PRAL showed increased chances of suffering from more severe depression in the fully adjusted model, in comparison to those in the lowest group. DAL and PRAL did not appear to be significantly correlated with depression severity in either males or the general population. When sex was considered, there was no discernible relationship between PRAL and the intensity of anxiety. However, participants in the highest tertile of PRAL had 13% higher odds of experiencing more severe anxiety than those in the lowest tertile in the entire sample’s fully adjusted model. DAL and the degree of anxiety were not significantly correlated in either gender or throughout the whole population. The authors conclude that increased dietary acid loads were associated with considerably increased odds of women, but not men, experiencing more severe depression. Dietary acid load and anxiety were significantly positively correlated in the general population. [NPID: Dietary acid load, renal acid load, Depression, Anxiety]
Year: 2023
