The relation between dietary intakes and psychological disorders in Iranian adults: a population-based study

BACKGROUND: Previous studies showed an association between dietary intakes and psychological disorders. This study aimed to assess the association between dietary intakes and psychiatric disorders in Iran. METHODS: In this cross sectional research, the data on 9965 adults were extracted from enrollment phase of Yazd Health Study (YaHS); a population-based cohort study on Iranian adults which was conducted during 2014 to 2016. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, tobacco use, history of chronic disease, and dietary assessment were collected using a validated researcher-made questionnaire. Moreover, anthropometric measurement was conducted. Psychological and physical activity assessments were also performed by depression, anxiety and stress scale questionnaire (DASS 21 items) and the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) respectively. Finally, multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate relation between dietary intakes and psychological disorders. RESULTS: After adjusting for the confounders, egg (depression: OR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.52–0.98; anxiety: OR = 0.72, CI: 0.55–0.94), fruits (depression: OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.43–0.82; anxiety: OR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.53–0.91), milk (depression: OR = 0.72, CI: 0.58–0.89; anxiety: OR = 0.73, CI: 0.61–0.87), and yogurt (depression: OR = 0.67, CI: 0.47–0.97; anxiety: OR = 0.54, CI: 0.4–0.73) were found to have protective effects on depression and anxiety. Higher fish consumption was associated with greater depression odds (OR = 1.54, CI: 1.18–2.04). Vegetables’ intake had an inverse relationship with anxiety (OR = 0.74, CI = 0.58–0.93) and stress (OR = 0.59, CI: 0.42–0.82). Fruits (OR = 0.6, CI: 0.43–0.85) and milk consumption (OR: 0.61, CI: 0.47–0.77) were found to have protective effects on stress. CONCLUSIONS: Egg, fruits, milk, yogurt, and vegetables’ consumption had an inverse relationship with psychiatric disorders; whereas, higher fish intake was associated with higher depression chance. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.