The consumption of wholegrain is related to depressive symptoms among Chinese adults: A cross-sectional study

This 2021 study assessed the relationship between wholegrain consumption and depressive symptoms since wholegrains contain fibers, minerals, and vitamins that are thought to positively influence depressive symptoms. The study was conducted on a sample of 24,776 adults (age range 18 to 91) living in Tianjin, China. Around 19% of the male participants showed signs of depression, while the prevalence rate was slightly higher among the females (~22%). Compared to people who never ate wholegrains, participants who consumed wholegrains less than once a week were 23% less likely to have depression. The odds ratio of depression decreased as wholegrain consumption frequency increased (0.73 odds ratio for those who ate once a week and 0.68 for those who ate two times or more per week). These results suggest that higher consumption of wholegrains can potentially prevent or improve depressive symptoms. Prospective or intervention studies are needed to confirm these findings. [NPID: wholegrains, depressive, depression, China, Chinese, diet, nutrition, fibers, minerals, vitamins]

Year: 2021

Reference: Wu, H., Zhang, S., Meng, G., Zhang, Q., Liu, L., Wu, H., Gu, Y., Wang, Y., Zhang, T., Wang, X., Zhang, J., Sun, S., Wang, X., Zhou, M., Jia, Q., Song, K., & Niu, K. (2021). The consumption of wholegrain is related to depressive symptoms among Chinese adults: a cross-sectional study. European journal of clinical nutrition, 10.1038/s41430-021-00917-2. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-021-00917-2