Abstract
Postpubescent females may have negative mood or premenstrual syndrome during the menstrual cycle; with the emotional and physical symptoms interfering with their quality of life. Little is known about the relationship of dietary behaviors and dietary antioxidant intake with negative mood or premenstrual syndrome in university students in China; so we explored the relationship between negative mood and dietary behavior in female university students during the three menstrual cycle phases. Random sampling was used to enroll 88 individuals from a university in Guangzhou; China in the study. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. During the menstrual phase, tea, black coffee and carbonated beverage intake was higher in the group with a high negative affect scale score than in the low score group (p < 0.05). Likewise; during the premenstrual phase, fresh fruit (banana and red Chinese dates) intake was higher in the group with a high negative affect scale score than in the low-score group (p < 0.05). The logistic regression analysis results showed that negative mood was positively associated with tea, coffee, and carbonated beverage intake during the menstrual phase (β = 0.21, p = 0.0453, odds ratio = 1.23), and negative mood was positively associated with banana and red Chinese dates intake during the premenstrual phase (β = 0.59, p = 0.0172, odds ratio = 1.81). Our results suggest that negative mood may be associated with diet and specific food in university postpubescent females.
Highlights
Evidence indicates a higher prevalence of mental health disorders among university students than the general adult population, and that this situation is a growing area of concern
We previously reported in a cohort study of 2579 local college students in seven cities in China that female students perceive higher stress and depression than male students according to self-reported stress scores and depression scores [17]
The results showed that negative mood was positively associated with tea, coffee, and carbonated beverage intake during the menstrual phase (β = 0.21, p = 0.0453, Odds ratios (ORs) = 1.23) and negative mood was positively associated with banana and red Chinses dates intake during the premenstrual phase (β = 0.59, p = 0.0172, OR = 1.81)
Summary
Evidence indicates a higher prevalence of mental health disorders among university students than the general adult population, and that this situation is a growing area of concern. According to the World Health Organization, mental health surveys have reported that 20–31 of university students worldwide have at least one mental health disorder [2,3]. According to a meta-analysis including 31 studies and 1259 participants, acute carbohydrate intake might not have beneficial effects on any aspect of mood and might be associated with increased fatigue within 30 min after consumption [9]. A low carbohydrate/high protein breakfast consumed over a 3-week period is reported to cause undesired emotional fluctuations, such as increased anger [10]. Participants with high soy dietary intake (>30.1 portions per month) were less prone to negative emotions than those with low or moderate soy dietary intake [11]. Diet quality is frequently reported to be inversely associated with negative mood, especially in students. The association of specific foods with negative mood has not been extensively studied, in the context of Asian dietary patterns
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