Plant and animal protein intake and its association with depression, anxiety, and stress among Iranian women.

BACKGROUND: Mental disorders are conditions that affect the usual function of the brain, causing a huge burden on societies. The causes are often unclear, but previous research has pointed out, as is the case with many other diseases, that nutrition could have a major role in it. Amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, are the main precursor of neurotransmitters (the chemical messengers in the brain) malfunction of which is heavily associated with a wide range of brain disorders. METHODS: We assumed different sources of dietary protein could have different impacts on mental well-being. Hence, we decided to collect the nutritional data (with a validated and reliable semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire) from a sample of 489 Iranian women and investigate the association between animal and plant protein sources and the risk of depression, anxiety, and stress. Symptoms of these mental disorders were assessed using a validated Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS) questionnaire with 21 items. RESULTS: After multivariable adjustment, it was shown that women in the highest tertile of animal protein intake were more likely to show symptoms of depression (OR: 2.63; 95% CI: 1.45, 4.71; P = 0.001), anxiety (OR: 1.83; 95% CI: 1.04, 3.22; P = 0.03), and stress (OR: 3.66; 95% CI: 2.06, 6.50; p < 0.001). While no significant association was seen between plant protein and any of the studied mental disorders. CONCLUSION: Overall, our findings suggest that a diet high in animal protein could predispose individuals to mental illnesses.

The association of food quality index with mental health in women: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: Diet is a fundamental modifiable risk factor for the development of depression and anxiety. However, no evidence currently exists regarding the association of food quality score (FQS) and mental health in Iranian women. This study investigated the relationship between food quality score, depression, anxiety and stress in Iranian women. RESULTS: Results showed that 35%, 41% and 42% of participants had depression, anxiety and stress, respectively. The average age of participants was 31.40 ± 7.47 years. A significant association was indicated between FQS and symptoms of depression (OR: 0.36; 95% CI 0.21, 0.63), anxiety (OR: 0.31; 95% CI 0.18, 0.53), and stress (OR: 0.39; 95% CI 0.23, 0.66) in both crude and adjusted models.

Association of dietary acid-base load and psychological disorders among Iranian women: A cross-sectional study.

Metabolic acidosis, which can be affected by dietary acid-base load, seems to be associated with psychological disorders through different pathways. Given limited evidence on dietary acid-base load, we aimed to examine the association of dietary acid-base load with psychological disorders in Iranian women. This cross-sectional study was performed on 447 female subjects (20-50 years old). Dietary intake was assessed using a valid food frequency questionnaire for Iran. Dietary acid-base load was calculated through different indices including potential renal acid load (PRAL), net endogenous acid production (NEAP), and dietary acid load (DAL). To assess psychological disorders, an Iranian validated version of depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS-21) was used. The mean value of PRAL, NEAP, and DAL were -8.87mEq/da, 37.94mEq/day, and 30.77mEq/day, respectively. Considering a wide range of confounding variables, compared with the first tertile, a significant positive association was observed between dietary acid-base load and depression (ORPRAL: 3.63; 95 %CI:1.97, 6.71; Ptrend = 0.0001) (ORNEAP:3.42; 95 %CI: 1.87, 6.23; Ptrend = 0.0001) (ORDAL: 3.02; 95 %CI: 1.64, 5.58; Ptrend = 0.0001). Women in the high dietary acid-base load category had higher anxiety (ORPRAL: 3.31; 95 %CI: 1.81, 6.06; Ptrend = 0.0001) (ORNEAP:3.47; 95 %CI: 1.90, 6.33; Ptrend = 0.0001) (ORDAL: 3.25; 95 %CI: 1.76, 5.98; Ptrend = 0.0001). Moreover, there was a strong positive relationship between dietary acid-base load and psychologicaldistress (ORPRAL: 3.79; 95 %CI: 2.09, 6.90; Ptrend = 0.0001) (ORNEAP: 3.67; 95 %CI: 2.04, 6.58; Ptrend = 0.0001) (ORDAL: 3.00; 95 %CI: 1.66, 5.43; Ptrend = 0.0001). Women with higher dietary acid-base load score had greater odds for depression, anxiety, and psychological distress compared to lower ones.

Association of plant-based dietary patterns with psychological profile and obesity in Iranian women.

BACKGROUND: A bidirectional association exists between psychological disorders and obesity. Also, diet could impact on both of these disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between plant-based dietary patterns and psychological profile and obesity. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed in a sample of 435 Iranian women. A validated and reliable semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire was used to collect dietary data. Three dietary indices including an overall plant-based diet (PDI), healthful plant-based diet (hPDI), and unhealthful plant-based diet (uPDI) were determined. Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were used to define general and abdominal obesity, respectively. Psychological profile status was determined from the DASS-21 questionnaire. RESULTS: We found that higher uPDI scores increased the odds of overall (PDI: 2.62; 95% CI 1.28-5.35, Ptrend = 0.01) and abdominal (PDI: 2.36; 95% CI 1.11-5.02, Ptrend = 0.03) obesity in comparison with lower scores. Moreover, an inverse association was observed between higher PDI and hPDI scores and depression (PDI: 0.41; 95% CI 0.23-0.71, Ptrend = 0.001, hPDI: 0.44; 95% CI 0.25-0.76, Ptrend = 0.003), anxiety (PDI: 0.56; 95% CI 0.33-0.94, Ptrend = 0.03, hPDI: 0.55; 95% CI 0.33-0.94, Ptrend = 0.03), and psychological distress (PDI: 0.44; 95% CI 0.26-0.75, Ptrend = 0.003, hPDI: 0.49; 95% CI 0.29-0.82, Ptrend = 0.009). For uPDI, higher scores were associated with depression (uPDI: 1.91; 95% CI 1.03-3.55, Ptrend = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: A plant-based diet, particularly healthful-rich plant foods were inversely associated with psychological disorders. Furthermore, unhealthy plant foods were associated with increased risk of obesity as well as depression.

Association of dietary phytochemical index and mental health in women: a cross-sectional study.

Previous studies have shown that unhealthy dietary patterns are among the most important modifiable risk factors in the development of mental health disorders. We examined the association of dietary phytochemical index (DPI) with symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychological distress in Iranian women. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 488 women aged 20-50 years old attending health centres in the south of Tehran in 2018 were included. A validated and reliable FFQ was used for dietary assessment. Symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychological distress were assessed using a validated depression, anxiety, stress scales questionnaires with twenty-one-items. DPI was estimated using the following formula: (daily energy derived from phytochemical-rich foods (kJ)/total daily energy intake (kJ))×100. The mean age of the study participants was 31·9 (sd 7·7) years. The prevalence of depressive symptoms, anxiety and psychological distress among study participants was 34·6, 40·6 and 42·4 %, respectively. After controlling for potential confounders, women in the highest tertile of DPI had a lower prevalence of depressive symptoms (OR 0·22; 95 % CI 0·12, 0·38) and anxiety (OR 0·33; 95 % CI 0·20, 0·55), as well as psychological distress (OR 0·30; 95 % CI 0·18, 0·49) compared with those in the lowest tertile. In conclusion, we found a significant association between DPI and mental health in women. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.