The association between the number of food kinds and risk of depression in U.S. adults
Xu et al. (2024) conducted an investigation on the relationship between the diversity of meals consumed and the risk of depression in people. On a sample of 4593 participants, 24-hour dietary recalls were used to measure food variety, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was used to measure sadness. 451 of the 4593 individuals had a diagnosis of depression. Individuals with the uppermost quartile of food variety were found to have a 41% lower likelihood of experiencing depression compared to those with the lowest quartile of food variety. Subgroup analysis revealed that individuals with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 24.9 kg/m2, those who were female, and those who were between the ages of 18 and 45 and 45 and 65 had a lower risk of depression when they ate a variety of foods. The study found a linear, negative correlation between food variety and the risk of depression, suggesting that a more varied diet could be a beneficial nonpharmacological strategy worth further exploration. [NPID: Depression, food kinds, association, NHANES]
Year: 2024
