The association of dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) and Mediterranean diet with mental health, sleep quality and chronotype in women with overweight and obesity: a cross-sectional study

PURPOSE: Mental and sleep disorders are global public health problems, especially in Middle Eastern countries, and are significantly associated with circadian rhythm. This study sought to investigate the association between the dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) and Mediterranean diet scores and mental health, sleep quality, and circadian rhythm. METHODS: We enrolled 266 overweight and obese women, and depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS) score, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Morning–Evening Questionnaire (MEQ), were assessed. The Mediterranean and DASH diet score was measured using a validated semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). The physical activity was evaluated using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Analysis of variance and analysis of covariance, chi-square, and multinomial logistic regression tests were used as appropriate. RESULTS: Our results showed that there was a significant inverse association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and mild and moderate anxiety scores (p < 0.05). In addition, there was an inverse association between adherence to the DASH diet and the risk of severe depression and extremely severe stress scores (p < 0.05). Moreover, higher adherence to both dietary scores was associated with good sleep quality (p < 0.05). There was a significant relationship between circadian rhythm and the DASH diet (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: A significant association exists between a DASH and Mediterranean diet with sleep status, mental health, and chronotype in women of childbearing age with obesity and overweight. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, Cross-sectional observational study.