Are low-fat diets associated with stress?

Background: The purpose of this study was to confirm the evidence that low-fat diets are associated with stress and negative mood states. Methods: Four self-report stress and mood measures were correlated with a crude dietary fat screen in 93 university staff that responded to an advertisement for a stress and dietary fats study. The screen was a modification of two previously validated dietary assessment questionnaires. The three stress measures were the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Occupational Stress Inventory - Revised (OSI-R), and a visual analogue scale (VAS). The mood scale was the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS). Subjects completed the questionnaires at two measuring points, with a 10-week interval. Results: At Time 1 there was an inverse correlation between fish intake and vocational strain (r= -0.30, p