Lai Catie Chun Wan, Boag Simon
School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health, and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health, and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
J Affect Disord. 2023 Mar 1;324:136-142. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.12.095. Epub 2022 Dec 28.
Recent research has highlighted the relevance of a gut-health promoting diet as a possible treatment and prevention for depression. A dietary pattern with consumption of fermented food and high consumption of dietary fiber can promote gut health, physical health, and might even improve mental health. This study aimed to investigate the interrelationship among diet, physical health, and depression.
This study used a nationally representative sample (N = 16,572) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011-2018). Dietary information was collected by dietary recall interviews. Depression was assessed by the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire. Subjective physical health was indicated by self-reported Body Mass Index (BMI). Objective physical health was indicated by BMI measured by trained health technicians. Path analysis was used to test the association between diet and depression, and the mediating roles of self-reported BMI and BMI measured by technicians.
Consumption of probiotic foods and higher intake of fiber were significantly associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms. Both subjective and objective physical health significantly mediated the relationship between variables of diet and mild depressive symptoms. Subjective physical health also significantly mediated the relationship between high intake of dietary fiber and lower likelihood of reporting severe depressive symptoms.
Despite being cross-sectional in nature, this study presented evidence that gut-health promoting diets may reduce depressive symptoms through improving physical health. These findings provide preliminary support to diet programs for preventing depression and diet programs as an alternative or supplementary treatment of depression.
近期研究强调了促进肠道健康的饮食作为抑郁症可能的治疗和预防方法的相关性。食用发酵食品和高膳食纤维的饮食模式可以促进肠道健康、身体健康，甚至可能改善心理健康。本研究旨在调查饮食、身体健康和抑郁症之间的相互关系。
本研究使用了来自国家健康与营养检查调查（2011 - 2018年）的具有全国代表性的样本（N = 16572）。通过饮食回顾访谈收集饮食信息。使用9项患者健康问卷评估抑郁症。主观身体健康通过自我报告的体重指数（BMI）表示。客观身体健康通过由训练有素的健康技术人员测量的BMI表示。路径分析用于测试饮食与抑郁症之间的关联，以及自我报告的BMI和技术人员测量的BMI的中介作用。
食用益生菌食品和较高的纤维摄入量与较低水平的抑郁症状显著相关。主观和客观身体健康均显著介导了饮食变量与轻度抑郁症状之间的关系。主观身体健康也显著介导了高膳食纤维摄入量与报告严重抑郁症状的较低可能性之间的关系。
尽管本研究本质上是横断面研究，但它提供了证据表明促进肠道健康的饮食可能通过改善身体健康来减轻抑郁症状。这些发现为预防抑郁症的饮食计划以及作为抑郁症替代或补充治疗的饮食计划提供了初步支持。
