This 2020 study is the first of its kind to explore the relationship between an inflammatory dietary pattern (IDP) in childhood and depression in early adulthood, and has collected data over 10 years from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) cohort (sample size of 6939). At age 8.5 years at baseline, a food frequency questionnaire was completed before the following samples were taken from the children at age 9.5: inflammatory biomarkers, C-reactive protein and interleukin -6. When the participants reached 18 years, depression was determined by the use of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases 10th revision (ICD-10) diagnosis and the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised (CIS-R) depression score. Those in the highest tertile of IDP score were 34% more likely to develop depression compared to those in the lowest tertile (95% CI, 1.08–1.66; P-trend<0.01) after adjustments were made for dietary misreporting status and energy intake. The associations between IDP scores and depression was attenuated once all the covariates were adjusted for, with the odds ratio (OR) comparing the highest tertile to the lowest tertile dropping to 1.21 (95% CI 0.96–1.51). Furthermore the relationship was marginally significant among subjects who were not overweight or obese (p<0.10) however it did not appear to be significant among those who were overweight/obese. The conclusions that could be drawn from this study include greater depression risk in early adulthood seems to be associated with higher IDP in childhood. This study provided important preliminary evidence that chronic inflammation may underlie the relationship between diet and depression even at such an early age as children and especially in individuals who are not overweight or obese.
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