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Comparative analysis of dietary patterns and depression risk: significant inverse association with HEI-2015 and mediating role of BMI
Depression is a significant global mental health concern closely linked to dietary habits. This research aimed to investigate the relationships between four dietary patterns, assessed through the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015), Dietary Index for Gut Microbiota (DI-GM), and Composite Dietary Antioxidant Index (CDAI), and the risk of depression. Utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning 2007 to 2018, the study employed logistic regression and mediation analysis to evaluate these associations and the mediating role of Body Mass Index (BMI). The findings revealed a significant negative correlation between HEI-2015 and depression risk, with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.99 (95% CI: 0.98–1.00, p = 0.002). Notably, individuals in the highest quartile of HEI-2015 displayed a significantly reduced risk of depression (OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.50–0.87, p = 0.003) compared to those in the lowest quartile. Conversely, no significant associations were identified for DII, DI-GM, or CDAI. Mediation analysis indicated that BMI partially mediated the relationship between HEI-2015 and depression, accounting for 6.39% of the mediation effect (p < 0.0001). Further, SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis highlighted key dietary components affecting this association: added sugars and whole fruits were found to decrease depression risk, while saturated fats were associated with increased risk. This study underscores the significant inverse relationship between HEI-2015 and depression, suggesting that dietary modifications—specifically reducing added sugars and saturated fats while increasing whole fruit intake—may serve as strategies to mitigate depression risk. [NPID: Depression, HEI-2015, obesity, Composite Dietary Antioxidant Index, Dietary Index for Gut Microbiota]
Year: 2025
