Abstract
Objective: Few studies have related nutritional factors with quality of life in healthy populations. Our aim was to analyze the relationship between commercial bakery, fast food or soft drinks consumption and mental and physical quality of life. Study Design: This analysis included 8335 participants from the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra (SUN) Project (a multipurpose, dynamic cohort). Methods: The consumption of commercial bakery, fast food and soft drinks was assessed through a validated food-frequency questionnaire at baseline. Quality of life was measured after 4 years of follow-up with the Short-Form 36 (SF-36) Health Survey. Generalized Linear Models were fit to assess the regression coefficients (b) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the association between commercial bakery, fast food and soft drinks consumption and each domain and the two standardized measures of the SF-36. Results: As compared to the participants in the lowest quintile of consumption, those participants in the highest quintile of consumption of commercial bakery, fast food and soft drinks showed a score significantly lower (>2 points) for vitality (b = -2.14, 95% CI = -3.31 to -0.96), role emotional (b = -2.23, 95% CI = -4.33 to -0.13), and role physical (b = -2.31, 95% IC = -4.26 to -0.36) domains with statistically significant dose-response relationships (p for trend < 0.05). When the food groups were analysed separately, significant inverse associations were found only for commercial bakery and fast-food consumption. Conclusions: The results suggest that high consumption of commercial bakery, fast-food and soft drinks at baseline was associated with worse scores on self-perceived quality of life. This association was stronger for the mental domains of the SF-36.
Highlights
Population ageing is increasing the worry for obtaining a better health-related quality of life (HRQOL)
A previous study in our cohort reported a direct association between fast-food consumption and weight gain [18] and depression [19], and recent studies have found a detrimental effect of this dietary pattern on depressive symptoms [20]-[23]
For the commercial bakery consumption the median was 0.3 serving per day, in the case of soft drinks the median was 0.2 serving/day, and if we considered the three food groups together the median of consumption is 0.9 serving per day
Summary
Population ageing is increasing the worry for obtaining a better health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Epidemiological studies have shown the influence of different factors such as smoking, obesity or physical activity [2]-[5], but few longitudinal studies have analyzed the influence of the diet on the quality of life of healthy populations [6]-[8]. Southern European countries, which used to eat a traditional Mediterranean diet, have been adopting a more Western-style diet [14]. Concomitant with this trend, prevalence rates of overweight and obesity have considerably increased in these countries [15], as well as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes [16] and mental disorders like depression and anxiety [17], becoming a public health concern. A previous study in our cohort reported a direct association between fast-food consumption and weight gain [18] and depression [19], and recent studies have found a detrimental effect of this dietary pattern on depressive symptoms [20]-[23]
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