Relationship Between Dietary Patterns Derived by Reduced Rank Regression and Risk of Depression in American Adults

Abstract

Abstract Objectives Depression is one of the most serious mental disorder worldwide. Published studies indicated that nutrients such as folic acid and magnesium may provide a protective effect against it. The purpose of this study was to analyze whether dietary patterns defined by nutrients are associated with the risk of depression. Methods Research data content of 23 464 adults was obtained from the NHANES database. Dietary data were assessed with a valid food frequency questionnaire. Dietary patterns were derived by reduced rank regression with EPA + DHA, folate, Mg and Zn as response variables. The Patient Health Questionnaire was used to assess depressive symptoms (cutoff = 10). We applied logistic regression analyses to test the association between dietary patterns and depressive symptoms. Finally, all samples were divided into three groups: low, medium and high adherence to dietary patterns according to the trinomial score of dietary patterns, and the differences of depression risk among the three groups were compared. Results In total, 3 020 cases with depression were observed. We identified a dietary pattern that was strongly associated with EPA + DHA, folate, Mg and Zn (response variables) intake, which was also characterized by the consumption of vegetables, grains, meat, nuts, beans, peas, and lentils, milk, cheese, oils and solid fats. After adjustment for confounders, a statistically significant association was observed (OR = 0.42, 95%CI: 0.36,0.50; P < 0.001). In addition, compared with the low-adherence group, increasing adherence to this dietary pattern significantly reduced the risk of depression (medium-adherence: OR = 0.62, 95%CI: 0.55,0.71; high-adherence: OR = 0.43, 95%CI: 0.36,0.51; P < 0.001). Conclusions Adults living in the United States have been linked to a lower risk of depression with a high-nutrient eating pattern. Funding Sources National Natural Science Foundation of China and National Key R&D Program of China.