Abdollahpour Niloufar, Fard Seyedeh Atieh Mousavi, Salahmanesh Alae, Hatamzadeh Hossein, Moeini Reza, Soflaei Sara Saffar, Seifi Najmeh, Ghayour-Mobarhan Majid
Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad Iran.
Student Research Committee Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Mashhad Iran.
Food Sci Nutr. 2025 Jul 20;13(7):e70316. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.70316. eCollection 2025 Jul.
The increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) has raised concerns about their impact on human health, yet their relationship with mental health remains debated. This study aimed to investigate the association between UPF intake and sleep adequacy, as well as the severity of anxiety and depression in Iranian adults. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on 5476 adults aged 35-65 years from the MASHAD study. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire, and UPFs were classified based on the NOVA system. Depression and anxiety severity were measured using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), respectively. Sleep adequacy was defined as more than seven 7 h of sleep per night, based on self-reported data. Higher UPF consumption was linked to increased odds of severe depression (OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.01-1.54), but this association lost statistical significance after full adjustment (OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 0.99-1.57). Subgroup analysis revealed a significant association in females, where high UPF intake was associated with a 44% higher risk of severe depression (OR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.09-1.90, = 0.01), whereas no such link was observed in males ( > 0.05). No significant associations were found between UPF intake and anxiety severity or sleep adequacy in either the overall population or gender subgroups (all > 0.05). These findings suggest a possible association between UPF intake and depression severity among women, but not with anxiety or sleep. Further prospective and experimental studies are recommended to explore these relationships.
超加工食品（UPFs）消费量的不断增加引发了人们对其对人类健康影响的担忧，但其与心理健康的关系仍存在争议。本研究旨在调查伊朗成年人中UPF摄入量与睡眠充足率以及焦虑和抑郁严重程度之间的关联。对来自马什哈德研究的5476名35至65岁的成年人进行了横断面分析。使用经过验证的食物频率问卷评估饮食摄入量，并根据NOVA系统对UPFs进行分类。分别使用贝克抑郁量表（BDI）和贝克焦虑量表（BAI）测量抑郁和焦虑严重程度。根据自我报告的数据，睡眠充足被定义为每晚睡眠超过7小时。较高的UPF消费量与严重抑郁几率增加有关（OR = 1.25，95% CI：1.01 - 1.54），但在完全调整后，这种关联失去了统计学意义（OR = 1.25，95% CI：0.99 - 1.57）。亚组分析显示，在女性中存在显著关联，高UPF摄入量与严重抑郁风险高44%相关（OR = 1.44，95% CI：1.09 - 1.90，P = 0.01），而在男性中未观察到这种关联（P > 0.05）。在总体人群或性别亚组中，均未发现UPF摄入量与焦虑严重程度或睡眠充足率之间存在显著关联（所有P > 0.05）。这些发现表明，UPF摄入量与女性抑郁严重程度之间可能存在关联，但与焦虑或睡眠无关。建议进一步进行前瞻性和实验性研究以探索这些关系。
