A landmark study published on January 24, 2024, in the Journal of Affective Disorders has discovered significant associations between diet quality, daily free sugar intake, and the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in Chinese adolescents. This could potentially inform future dietary guidelines and interventions aimed at improving mental health among younger populations.
The prevalence of mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety has been rising globally, particularly among adolescents. Given that this stage in life is characterized by significant physical, emotional, and cognitive development, identifying modifiable risk factors is paramount for the prevention and management of these disorders. Among such factors, diet quality has emerged as a key area of interest. The recent study by Xie Xinyi and colleagues has provided novel insights by exploring the relationship between diet quality, daily free sugar intake, and mood disorders among Chinese adolescents.
In this cross-sectional study, 1749 students aged 12-16 years from three major cities in China participated. A stratified random cluster sampling approach ensured a representative cohort. The researchers designed a comprehensive approach to evaluate diet quality using the Global Dietary Recommendations (GDR) score and free sugar intake through a low-burden Diet Quality Questionnaire and the Food Frequency Questionnaire, respectively. The adolescents’ daily free sugar intake was categorized as low, medium, or high in accordance with the latest dietary guidelines for Chinese residents. Researchers then utilized binomial and multinominal logistic regression analyses to determine the relationships between diet quality, sugar intake, and reported symptoms of depression and/or anxiety.
The findings revealed that a higher overall GDR score was inversely associated with both depressive (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.92, 95%CI: 0.87-0.98) and anxiety symptoms (aOR = 0.95, 95%CI: 0.90-0.99), especially when depression and anxiety were comorbid (aOR = 0.90, 95%CI: 0.84-0.97). Conversely, an increased daily intake of free sugars correlated positively with depressive and/or anxiety symptoms across all levels of sugar consumption, with the aOR for depression or anxiety symptoms rising significantly alongside greater daily free sugar intake (all P trend < 0.05).
This research highlights the potentially detrimental impact of high free sugar consumption on the mental health of adolescents, implying that dietary modifications could serve as an effective intervention for mood disorders. Notably, the negative association of diet quality with depressive and anxiety symptoms aligns with the GDR’s objectives of promoting holistic dietary improvements for better health outcomes. Moreover, given the ubiquity of free sugars in the modern diet, particularly with the consumption of processed foods and sweetened beverages, this research adds urgency to public health initiatives aiming to reduce sugar intake among the youth population.
The conclusions drawn from this study stress the importance of incorporating nutritional policies and education that prioritize diet quality, potentially impacting current dietary guidelines and school-based nutritional programs. Furthermore, it advocates for integrating dietary assessments and personalized nutritional advice within the framework of adolescent mental health services.
The researchers acknowledge limitations within the study, including the cross-sectional design, which precludes establishing a causal relationship between diet and mood symptoms. Additionally, self-reported dietary intakes and symptoms might introduce biases. Longitudinal studies are needed to confirm the directionality of these associations.
In summary, the work of Xie Xinyi and her team illustrates a significant link between diet quality, sugar intake, and mental health in adolescents, with potential implications for public health policy and clinical practice.
References
1. Xie Xinyi, et al. (2024) “Associations of diet quality and daily free sugar intake with depressive and anxiety symptoms among Chinese adolescents.” Journal of Affective Disorders. 350: 550-558.
2. World Health Organization. “Depression and Other Common Mental Disorders: Global Health Estimates.” WHO Document Production Services, Geneva, Switzerland (2017).
3. Sarris, J., et al. “Nutritional medicine as mainstream in psychiatry.” The Lancet Psychiatry 2.3 (2015): 271-274.
4. Jacka, F. N., et al. “A randomised controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression (the ‘SMILES’ trial).” BMC Medicine 15.1 (2017): 23.
5. Knüppel, A., et al. “Sugar intake from sweet food and beverages, common mental disorder and depression: prospective findings from the Whitehall II study.” Scientific Reports 7.1 (2017): 6287.
Keywords
1. Diet quality and mental health
2. Adolescent sugar intake
3. Depression and nutrition
4. Anxiety and dietary habits
5. Chinese teen diet study
