Abstract
This study examined the associations of night eating with depression and depressive symptoms in Korean adults. The study used a nationally representative sample of 31,690 Korean adults (≥19 years old) from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2008 to 2013. The participants were divided into two groups based on status of night eating: night eaters (consuming ≥25% of total daily energy intake between 21:00 and 06:00) and non-night eaters. Depression was defined based on diagnosis by a doctor, whereas depressive symptoms were defined as feelings of sadness or desperation for more than two weeks in the last one year. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between night eating and odds of depression and depressive symptoms after controlling for age, education, income, marital status, drinking, smoking, day of recalled intake, physical activity, body mass index, menopausal status (women only), total energy intake, and sleep duration. A total of 14.3% of Korean adults were night eaters. Night eaters were more likely to be men, young, less educated, single, drinkers, current smokers, and not employed (all ps < 0.05). In women, night eaters had higher odds of depression (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02–1.75; p for trend = 0.0389) and depressive symptoms (AOR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.01–1.41; p for trend = 0.0382) compared with non-night eaters. However, no associations of night eating with depression and depressive symptoms were found in men. Night eaters had higher odds of depression and depressive symptoms only in Korean women. Future studies are warranted to elucidate the underlying psychological and behavioral mechanisms that in turn may shed light on the factors influencing both night eating and odds of depression and depressive symptoms.
Highlights
Depression is one of the most common mental health disorders, affecting more than 300 million people, or 4.4% of the global population [1]
The general characteristics of the participants according to night eating habits are presented in and have shorter sleep duration (p < 0.01) compared with non-night eaters
** p < 0.01 3 adjusted odds ratios (AORs), adjusted odds ratio; 95% confidence intervals (CIs), 95% confidence interval
Summary
Depression is one of the most common mental health disorders, affecting more than 300 million people, or 4.4% of the global population [1]. According to the World Health Organization, depression ranks as the third cause of disease burden worldwide; it is projected to contribute most to the global burden of disease in 2030 [2]. In Korea, depressive disorders have emerged as the fourth leading cause of disability [3]. Given the growing socioeconomic burden of depression, many efforts have been made to identify the factors that can prevent or alleviate depression and depressive symptoms. As a part of various efforts, researchers have sought to identify dietary factors related to depression. Since the term “night eating syndrome (NES)” was first introduced by Stunkard et al in 1955 [7], continuous attention
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