The association between polyunsaturated fatty acids and depression among Iranian postgraduate students in Malaysia

Lipids in Health and Disease

Research

Teymoor Yary¹  Sanaz Aazami¹ 

[1] Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Food Sciences and Engineering (FFSE), Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University (SRBIAU), Hesarak, Tehran, I.R.Iran;

关键词: Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs);    depression;    inflammation;    neurotransmitter;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1476-511X-10-151

 received in 2011-07-29, accepted in 2011-08-24,  发布年份 2011

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe incidence of depression is expected to increase over the next 20 years, and many people will have to deal with it. It has been reported that up to 40% of university students experience levels of depression. Several negative consequences are associated with depression symptoms, such as memory impairment, suicide, and substance abuse. Recently, researchers have been studying possible associations between depression and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which may modify depression symptoms. The aim of the present study was to find an association between PUFA levels and depression among Iranian postgraduate students in Malaysia.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in 2011 with 402 Iranian postgraduate students who were studying in Malaysia. The participants included 173 (43%) women and 229 (57%) men, and the mean age of the participants was 32.54 ± 6.22 years.ResultsAfter adjustment for several potential confounders including sex, age, BMI, PUFAs, MUFAs, and SFAs, monthly expenses, close friends, living in campus, smoking, education, and marital status in a logistic regression model, an inverse relationship was found between depression symptoms and the dietary intake of PUFAs.ConclusionWe found an inverse association between PUFA intake and depression symptoms in Iranian postgraduate students in Malaysia. We, therefore, concluded that long-term intake of PUFAs may modify or prevent depression symptoms.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Yary and Aazami; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2011