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A longitudinal analysis of Australian women's fruit and vegetable consumption and depressive symptoms
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

A longitudinal analysis of Australian women's fruit and vegetable consumption and depressive symptoms

Megan Lee, Joanne Bradbury, Jacqui Yoxall and Sally Sargeant
British Journal of Health Psychology, Vol.28(3), pp.829-843
09/2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12656
PMID: 36907659
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In PressCC BY V4.0,  Open Access
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In PressCC BY V4.0,  Open

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Abstract

ALSWH Nutritional Psychiatry Nutrition Dietary Patterns and Depression diet quality
Background In Australia, women report higher rates of depressive symptoms than men. Research suggests that dietary patterns rich in fresh fruit and vegetables could protect against depressive symptoms. The Australian Dietary Guidelines suggest that consuming two servings of fruit and five serves of vegetables per day is optimal for overall health. However, this consumption level is often difficult for those experiencing depressive symptoms to achieve. Aims This study aims to compare diet quality and depressive symptoms in Australian women over time using (I) two serves of fruit and five serves of vegetables per day (FV7), and (ii) two serves of fruit and three serves of vegetables per day (FV5). Materials and Methods A secondary analysis was conducted using data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health over 12 years at three time points 2006 (n = 9145, Mean age = 30.6, SD = 1.5), 2015 (n = 7186, Mean age = 39.7, SD = 1.5), and 2018 (n = 7121, Mean age = 42.4, SD = 1.5). Results A linear mixed effects model found, after adjusting for covarying factors, a small significant inverse association between both FV7 (b = −.54, 95% CI = −.78, −.29) and FV5 (b = −.38, 95% CI = −.50, −.26) in depressive symptoms. Discussion These findings suggest an association between fruit and vegetable consumption and decreased depressive symptoms. The small effect sizes indicate caution should be taken in interpreting these results. The findings also suggest that current Australian Dietary Guideline recommendations need not be prescriptive to two fruit and five vegetables for impact on depressive symptoms. Conclusions Future research could evaluate reduced vegetable consumption (three serves per day) in identifying the protective threshold for depressive symptoms.

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