Associations between whole and low-fat dairy products consumption, physical performance and mental health

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Military staff are required to be in a proper condition of mental health and weight standards and have a specific level of physical performances (PP). Dairy products are rich sources of essential nutrients. It was demonstrated that Iranians consume much less milk and its products and there is no exception in the military staff. OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between consumption of low or whole-fat dairy and psychological disorders and PP in military personnel. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in four military zones of Iran. Dairy products intake were evaluated by using a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The Persian version of Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) were used to assess participants’ depression, anxiety and stress and PP were assessed by a 2-mile run, sit-up, push-up and pull-up. RESULTS: There was a significant negative relationship between the tertiles of total and low-fat dairy consumption and depression (OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.79, P < 0.05), and low-fat dairy consumption and stress (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.93, P < 0.05). Also, there was a positive association between the last tertiles of low-fat dairy consumption and suitable PP (OR 5.28, 95% CI 1.08 to 25.71, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that consumption of dairy products and particularly low-fat products are related to less psychological problems and a better PP level.

Associations between total dairy, high-fat dairy and low-fat dairy intake, and depressive symptoms: findings from a population-based cross-sectional study

“…Although inconsistencies in measures used to report dairy intake limit comparability between all studies (e.g., grams per day vs times per week), low-fat dairy intake in the present study (mean ± SD intake of 694 ± 188 g/day in the highest tertile) was more than double that of other studies [14]. It is also plausible that these discordant findings could be explained by differences in the categorization of high-and low-fat dairy products, and the proportion of individual dairy products that contribute to overall intake.…”

“…Whereas no significant association was observed between whole-fat dairy intake (≥ 4 times/week) and the prevalence of depressive symptoms [ 13 ]. A further cross-sectional study in Iranian military personnel ( n = 230) similarly reported that higher low-fat dairy intake (mean 338 g/day), but not whole-fat dairy intake, was associated with reduced odds for depressive symptoms [ 14 ]. While it is possible our findings are due to chance, potential explanations for these discrepancies could include our larger sample size, differences in dietary assessment tools, or differences in dairy consumption levels between studies.…”

“…To date, only two cross-sectional studies have evaluated associations between whole- and low-fat dairy intake and depressive symptoms [ 13 , 14 ]. Both studies demonstrated that higher low-fat dairy intake, but not whole-fat dairy intake, was associated with a decreased prevalence of depressive symptoms [ 13 , 14 ].…”

“…To date, only two cross-sectional studies have evaluated associations between whole- and low-fat dairy intake and depressive symptoms [ 13 , 14 ]. Both studies demonstrated that higher low-fat dairy intake, but not whole-fat dairy intake, was associated with a decreased prevalence of depressive symptoms [ 13 , 14 ]. However, these studies were conducted in Japanese and Iranian populations who have low habitual dairy intake (per capital milk intake 59 kg/year and 54 kg/year, respectively) relative to populations such as Finland (458 kg/year) [ 15 ].…”

Dietary eating patterns, dairy consumption, and anxiety: A systematic literature review

“…The association between low-fat dairy products and anxiety was evaluated in 3 Iranian studies with mixed results. One study did not observe any significant associations [ 114 ] and two studies observed significant inverse associations [ 5 , 104 ]. None of these studies specified the precise levels of dairy consumption.…”