Eating patterns and common mental disorders in adults and older adults

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the association between dietary patterns and common mental disorders (CMDs) in adults and older adults. Methods: This is a population-based, household-based cross-sectional study conducted with 488 individuals aged ≥20 years. The Self-Rating Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20) was used to identify the presence of CMDs. Dietary patterns were obtained using Principal Component Analysis based on a 24-hour dietary recall. Prevalence ratios and their respective 95% confidence intervals were estimated using Poisson regression models with robust variance. Results: CMDs were more prevalent among women and individuals with lower levels of education and income. Higher consumption (3rd tertile) of the traditional dietary pattern was associated with a 34% lower prevalence of CMDs (unadjusted model). In contrast, the ultra-processed diet pattern (2nd tertile) was associated with a higher prevalence of CMDs by 51% (unadjusted) and 48% (adjusted). Conclusion: The findings underscore the importance of investigating the consumption of ultra-processed foods as a factor associated with CMDs, especially given the association observed in the second tertile.