Association Between Dietary Habits and Depression: A Systematic Review

Depression being the psychiatric condition with the highest societal costs in industrialized nations, it is necessary to collect research information on the role of nutrition in depression in order to provide recommendations and guide future health treatment. Observance of healthy dietary practices has been linked to decreased depression symptoms; however, it is unknown whether this is attributable to some or all of the components. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of observational and systematic studies analyzing the association between dietary habits and depression in adolescents, adults, and older people. A variety of noncommunicable chronic illnesses and deaths have been linked to dietary and other lifestyle factors such as physical inactivity, cigarette use, and alcohol use. Several studies have found that older people are more likely to be malnourished and depressed, which can hurt their overall health and well-being. Early in life, proper nutrition is suggested as a factor that may have a significant impact on one's mental health. It is critical to identify changes in primary care practices in order to improve the quality of life and prevent complications. The systematic review included papers presenting human studies and published in English until January 2021, analyzing the association between dietary habits and mental health, while we studied a group of people of mixed ages. We included three systematic reviews, three cross-sectional studies, two cohorts, and one meta-analysis. According to the findings of our systematic review of observational studies, observational evidence suggests that both following a healthy diet, in particular incorporating vegetables and fruits, and avoiding a pro-inflammatory diet like junk foods, fast foods, and high meat intake may lower the risk of developing depressive symptoms or clinical depression. As a result, we recommend that the relationship between diet and depression should be investigated in prospective cohorts and randomized controlled studies that are well-designed and have more conclusive evidence regarding dietary involvement and depression.