Adherence to the MIND diet and its association with the risk of depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances in physically active adults: a cross-sectional study

In this cross-sectional study involving 684 physically active adults, we examined the association between adherence to the MIND diet and the prevalence of psychological disorders, specifically depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated 168-item semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), and the MIND diet score was calculated accordingly. Psychological assessments were conducted using the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). After adjusting for confounding factors, results indicated that participants in the top tertile of MIND diet adherence had a 51% lower likelihood of experiencing depression compared to those in the bottom tertile (Odds Ratio: 0.69, 95% Confidence Interval: 0.18, 0.90). However, no significant associations were found between MIND diet adherence and the odds of anxiety (Odds Ratio: 1.17; 95% Confidence Interval: 0.71, 1.95) or sleep disturbances (Odds Ratio: 1.25; 95% Confidence Interval: 0.86, 1.81). These findings suggest that greater adherence to the MIND diet may be inversely related to the risk of depression among physically active individuals, but further research is needed to explore its impact on anxiety and sleep disturbances. [NPID: Depression, MIND, anxiety, sleep]

Year: 2025

Reference: Arabpour, Z., & Milajerdi, A. (2025). Adherence to the MIND diet and its association with the risk of depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances in physically active adults: A cross-sectional study. BMC Psychiatry, 25, 1048. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-025-07505-9

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