Meta-analysisWikiNutritionHigh evidence score

Diet quality and depression risk: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies.

Read full paper →
Authors
Molendijk M, Molero P, Ortuño Sánchez-Pedreño F, Van der Does W, Angel Martínez-González M
Journal
J Affect Disord
Year
2018
Citations
547

TL;DR

This meta-analysis of long-term studies found that people who consistently ate a higher quality diet (like a healthy or Mediterranean pattern) had a 22% to 36% lower risk of developing depressive symptoms over time, suggesting that improving your diet quality might be a valuable strategy for reducing your risk of experiencing low mood.

What they tested

This study was a comprehensive review and analysis of existing research, not a new experiment. The researchers gathered data from many different long-term studies to investigate the relationship between diet quality and the future risk of developing depression or depressive symptoms.

Specifically, they looked at:

**Interventions

Test it on yourself

Run a structured nutrition experiment

The research gives you a prior. Your own data tells you what actually works for you.

Diet quality and depression risk: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. | Steady Practice | SteadyPractice