Plant and animal protein intake and its association with depression, anxiety, and stress among Iranian women

BMC Public Health

Research

Bijan Guilani¹  Abolghassem Djazayery²  Fereydoun Siassi²  Ali Sheikhi²  Leila Azadbakht³ 

[1] Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran;Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, P. O. Box: 1416643931, Tehran, Iran;Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, P. O. Box: 1416643931, Tehran, Iran;Diabetes Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR, Iran;

关键词: Protein;    Amino acids;    Depression;    Anxiety;    Stress;    Mental health;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-023-15100-4

 received in 2022-07-16, accepted in 2023-01-19,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundMental disorders are conditions that affect the usual function of the brain, causing a huge burden on societies. The causes are often unclear, but previous research has pointed out, as is the case with many other diseases, that nutrition could have a major role in it. Amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, are the main precursor of neurotransmitters (the chemical messengers in the brain) malfunction of which is heavily associated with a wide range of brain disorders.MethodsWe assumed different sources of dietary protein could have different impacts on mental well-being. Hence, we decided to collect the nutritional data (with a validated and reliable semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire) from a sample of 489 Iranian women and investigate the association between animal and plant protein sources and the risk of depression, anxiety, and stress. Symptoms of these mental disorders were assessed using a validated Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS) questionnaire with 21 items.ResultsAfter multivariable adjustment, it was shown that women in the highest tertile of animal protein intake were more likely to show symptoms of depression (OR: 2.63; 95% CI: 1.45, 4.71; P = 0.001), anxiety (OR: 1.83; 95% CI: 1.04, 3.22; P = 0.03), and stress (OR: 3.66; 95% CI: 2.06, 6.50; p < 0.001). While no significant association was seen between plant protein and any of the studied mental disorders.ConclusionOverall, our findings suggest that a diet high in animal protein could predispose individuals to mental illnesses.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023