The association between dietary insulin index and load with depression, anxiety and stress in university students: a cross-sectional study

Relationships between dietary insulin index (DII) and dietary insulin load (DIL)

This research addresses the critical issue of mental disorders among university students, particularly their influence on quality of life and academic performance. The study, conducted at Kashan University of Medical Sciences in 2023, used a cross-sectional design to analyze 330 students. Using the validated Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) for mental health assessment and a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ-117) for dietary intake, the study explored relationships between dietary insulin index (DII) and dietary insulin load (DIL) and mental health outcomes. The participants had a mean age of 21.4 years and a body mass index (BMI) of 22.8 kg/m2. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, results indicated that students in the highest quartile of DIL exhibited a 45% lower odds of experiencing depression compared to those in the lowest quartile (95% CI: 0.31, 0.99). Conversely, no significant association was found between DII and depression (95% CI: 0.4, 1.28). Additionally, no statistically significant relationships were observed between DII, DIL, and anxiety or stress (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the findings suggest that higher dietary insulin load may correlate with lower depression levels among university students, potentially due to enhanced tryptophan accessibility in brain cells, which may improve mood. The authors advocate for further research with larger sample sizes and more robust study designs, such as cohort studies or clinical trials, to validate these results. [NPID: Insulin index, insulin load, mental health, depression, anxiety]

Year: 2025

Reference: Joekar, S., Yazdani, A., & Aminianfar, A. (2025). The association between dietary insulin index and load with depression, anxiety and stress in university students: A cross-sectional study. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-21059-6

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