Inverse association between dietary fiber intake and depression in premenopausal women: a nationwide population-based survey

Abstract

Objective: Depression is among the most common neuropsychiatric disorders, and its prevalence is twofold higher in women than in men. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between dietary fiber intake and depression in women by menopause status using data from a nationwide population-based survey conducted in Korea. Methods: We utilized the Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey data for 2014, 2016, and 2018 with a complex sampling design. Dietary fiber intake was calculated according to the 24-hour recall method, and we used Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores to assess depression. A t test based on the general linear model was used to compare mean dietary fiber intake according to the presence of depression by menopause status. A logistic regression analysis was conducted to compute the odds ratio for depression according to the gradually adjusted model. Results: This study included 5,807 women. Among the premenopausal women, dietary fiber intake was higher in the nondepression group than in the depression group (P < 0.001), while there was no significant difference among postmenopausal women. Accordingly, among the premenopausal women, a significantly inverse relationship was observed between a change in daily dietary fiber intake as 1 g/1,000 kcal and the prevalence of depression in the fully adjusted model with an odds ratio of 0.949 (95% confidence interval, 0.906-0.993; P = 0.03). However, among the postmenopausal women, this significant association was not observed. Conclusions: Dietary fiber intake was inversely associated with depression in premenopausal but not postmenopausal women.

Association Between Dietary Fiber Intake and Risk of Depression in Patients With or Without Type 2 Diabetes

“…In our study, we found a negative association between dietary fiber intake and depressive symptoms, which is consistent with the results of previous studies ( Woo et al, 2006 ; Gangwisch et al, 2015 ; Kim et al, 2015 , 2020 ; Khayyatzadeh et al, 2021 ; Liu et al, 2021 ; Chrzastek et al, 2022 ). The Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study ( Gangwisch et al, 2015 ) showed that among postmenopausal women, higher dietary fiber consumption was associated with a decrease in OR for depressive symptoms.…”

“…Dietary fiber is a kind of plant cell wall that is resistant to human enzyme digestion but may be digested by gut microbial enzymes into short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) ( Smith and Wilds, 2009 ; Taylor and Holscher, 2020 ). Higher dietary fiber intake has been shown to be a protective factor for depressive symptoms in different study populations ( Kim et al, 2020 ; Khayyatzadeh et al, 2021 ; Liu et al, 2021 ; Chrzastek et al, 2022 ). Also, dietary fiber intake may reduce the risk of newly diagnosed diabetes ( Stevens et al, 2002 ; Yao et al, 2014 ; Jin et al, 2021 ).…”

Gut microbiota: Linking nutrition and perinatal depression

“…Moreover, the benefits of fiber consumption against perinatal depression were increasingly evident in obese rats, whose fiber-enriched diets significantly attenuated cognitive effects and maternal depression (Liu et al, 2020). In addition, an increased dietary fiber intake has been associated with reduced depression in premenopausal, but not in postmenopausal women (Kim et al, 2021).…”

Biological Role of Nutrients, Food and Dietary Patterns in the Prevention and Clinical Management of Major Depressive Disorder

“…Importantly, these changes may be associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms [ 109 ]. Some previous studies have found that 1 g of fiber per 1000 kcal is sufficient to observe the protective actions of fiber against depression in premenopausal but not postmenopausal women [ 110 ]. Further studies are warranted to determine the quantity of fiber intake to show its preventive actions against depression.…”