Frequent consumption of vegetables predicts lower risk of depression in older Taiwanese – results of a prospective population-based study

Abstract

Objective: The study evaluated the association between consumption frequencies of the major food categories and the risk of new depression four years later in older Taiwanese. Design: A prospective cohort study with multistage random sampling. Logistic regression analysis evaluated the significance of the longitudinal associations of intake frequencies of the major food categories with future (4 years later) risk of new depression, controlled for possible confounding factors with or without adjustment for cognitive status. Setting: Population-based free-living elderly. Subjects: Men and women (n 1609) $65 years of age. Results: In a regression model that controlled for demographic, socio-economic, lifestyle and disease/health-related variables but not cognitive status, both fruits (OR 5 0?66, 95 % CI 0?45, 0?98, P 5 0?038) and vegetables (OR 5 0?38, 95 % CI 0?17, 0?86, P 5 0?021) were protective against depressive symptoms 4 years later. However, when the same regression model was also adjusted for cognitive status, only vegetables (OR 5 0?40, 95 % CI 0?17, 0?95, P 5 0?039) were protective against depressive symptoms. Higher consumption of eggs was close to being significant in both regression models (P 5 0?087 and 0?069, respectively). Other food categories including meat/poultry, fish, seafood, dairy, legumes, grains and tea showed no significant associations. Conclusions: Results suggest that although confounding factors cannot be totally ruled out, more frequent consumption of vegetables seems to be protective against depressive symptoms in the elderly. Further studies are needed to elucidate the causal role and the mechanism of the association.

Intake of dairy products and calcium and prevalence of depressive symptoms during pregnancy in Japan: a cross‐sectional study

“…2 The possible role of dairy products and calcium in depressive symptoms has received much less attention; moreover, the findings have been inconsistent. [3][4][5][6][7][8] In Japan, calcium intake during pregnancy is below not only the recommended intake levels for Japan but also the average intake levels in other developed countries. 9 To our knowledge, only one epidemiological study has addressed the association between calcium intake and depressive symptoms during pregnancy.…”

Consumption of fruit and vegetables and risk of frailty: a dose-response analysis of 3 prospective cohorts of community-dwelling older adults

“…Despite the extensive evidence showing that FV consumption improves the health of young adults, the extent to which these benefits apply to older adults has received relatively little attention. The few existing prospective data suggest that consuming FVs during old age may help prevent the onset of depression (13), cognitive decline (14), mobility limitations, and disability (15)(16)(17)(18) while positively influencing muscle strength (19,20) and bone mineral status (21,22). In addition, the consumption of FVs in older adults has shown to decrease the risk of disease-specific and allcause mortality (23)(24)(25).…”

Is Psychological Well-Being Linked to the Consumption of Fruit and Vegetables?

“…Carter et al (2011) examines the influence of 'food security', rather than the direct consumption of healthy food, upon psychological distress. Recently, a small literature in public health has begun to find results suggestive of some form of correlation between depression and lack of fruit and vegetables (for example, Piqueras et al 2011, Jacka et al 2010, and Tsai et al 2012.…”