Food Cravings, Nutritional Status and Physical Activity in Patients with Major Depression in Turkey

Abstract

Our goal was to determine food cravings, nutritional status and physical activity of patients diagnosed with major depression. The study was conducted on 203 (144 women, 59 men) patients, aged 20-64 years, who were diagnosed with major depression at three psychiatry centers. Anthropometric measurements, demographic data, current health status, depression duration, drug use, eating habits, food craving status (Food Craving Questionnaire-Trait/FCQ-T), food consumption frequency, energy and nutrient intake and physical activity level (International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form/IPAQ) were evaluated. Depression duration, the frequency of antidepressant use and FCQ-T scores were higher in females than males. We found a positive correlation between FCQ-T score with the frequency of antidepressant use, depression duration and eating speed (p < 0.05). Also, depression duration was negatively correlated with folate, vitamin B6, vitamin C and zinc (p < 0.05). Lastly, depression duration and FCQ-T were positively correlated with body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference, body fat (%) and fat tissue (kg) (p< 0.05). In addition, physical activity is a very important statement for FCQ-T scores. Both men and women, the risk of FCQ-T score who exercised for <600 Met-min/week were greater relative to that of those who exercised for ≥3000 Metmin/week. The results of this study showed that an inverse correlation between a number of nutrients intake and depression duration, antidepressant use or FCQ-T scores. It also emphasizes the beneficial effects of habitual exercise participation on food cravings. Future research exploring the nutritional status of individuals with depression is warranted.