Abstract
BackgroundStudies suggest that anxiety is correlated with eating behavior, however, little is known about the association between anxiety status as predictor of dietary macronutrient intake. The aim of the present study was to investigate the sex-stratified cross-sectional associations of trait anxiety with intake of various macronutrients in a large population-based sample of non-diabetic adults.MethodsN = 20,231 participants (mean age = 53.7 ± 13.6 years) of the NutriNet-Santé web-cohort, who had completed the trait anxiety subscale of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (T-STAI; 2013–2016) were included in the analyses. Dietary intake was calculated from at least 3 self-administered 24-h dietary records. The associations of interest were assessed by multiple linear regression stratified by sex, owing to significant interaction tests.ResultsIn total, 74.3% (n = 15,033) of the sample were females who had a significantly higher mean T-STAI score than did males (39.0 versus 34.8; p < 0.01). Among females, the fully-adjusted analyses showed significant positive associations of T-STAI with total carbohydrate intake (β = 0.04; p < 0.04), complex carbohydrate intake (β = 0.05; p < 0.02), and percentage energy from carbohydrates (β = 0.01; p < 0.03), as well as a significant inverse association of T-STAI with percentage energy from fat (β = -0.01; p < 0.05). As regards males, the only significant finding was an inverse association between T-STAI and percent of the mean daily energy from protein (fully-adjusted model: β = -0.01; p = 0.05).ConclusionThis cross-sectional study found modest sex-specific associations between anxiety status and macronutrient intake among French non-diabetic adults. Prospective studies are needed to further elucidate the observed associations.
Highlights
In 2016, mental and addictive disorders affected more than 13% of the world’s population
Trait anxiety, which is regarded as a relatively stable personal characteristic and was modeled as the main exposure variable, was positively associated with intake of total carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates, and percentage of mean daily energy obtained from carbohydrates among females
An inverse association was observed between trait anxiety and percent energy from fat among females
Summary
In 2016, mental and addictive disorders affected more than 13% of the world’s population. Cross-sectional studies in the field of nutritional psychiatry have reported significant associations of anxiety disorders with dietary patterns/ quality [6], intake of food groups [7] and certain micronutrients [8]. No large population-based study has investigated dietary intake according to anxiety status. Existing epidemiological studies regarding the impact of dietary intake on anxiety status often focus on certain food groups or micronutrients and relatively small sample sizes [6,7,8]. Little is known at present about the association between anxiety status and intake of dietary macronutrients in the general population. The aim of the present study was to investigate the sex-stratified cross-sectional associations of trait anxiety with intake of various macronutrients in a large population-based sample of non-diabetic adults
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