The relation between low carbohydrate diet score and psychological disorders among Iranian adults

BACKGROUND: Since evidence regarding to low carbohydrate diet (LCD) and psychiatric disorders is little and controversial, this study aimed to assess relation between LCD score and psychological disorders including depression, anxiety, and stress among a large representative sample of Iranian adult population in Yazd city, Iran. METHODS: This cross-sectional analysis was conducted on data of 7165 persons who participated in the recruitment phase of Yazd Health Study (YaHS) and Taghzieh Mardom-e-Yazd (TAMIZ) study. Dietary intakes were evaluated by a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. LCD score was calculated for each person according to summing up assigned scores to deciles of percentages of energy from macronutrients. Assessment of psychological disorders was also conducted by the validated Iranian version of depression, anxiety and stress scale questionnaire (DASS 21). Eventually, association between adherence to LCD and psychological disorders was evaluated via logistic regression. RESULTS: After adjusting the confounders, women in the third quartile of LCD score might had 38% lower chance of depression versus those in the first quartile (odds ratio (OR) = 0.62, confidence interval (CI) = 0.42–0.93). However, no significant relationship was observed for other psychological disorders. CONCLUSIONS: More adherences to LCD might be associated with lower chance of depression only among women. Further studies special prospective studies are required to validate these results.