Impact of Planet Health Diet on Depression or Anxiety - A Prospective Cohort Study in UK Biobank

Background:

Despite the established influence of the planetary health diet (PHD) on mortality and chronic disease outcomes, evidence linking it to mental health remains sparse.

Objective：

This study aimed to investigate the potential association between PHD and the incidence of depression or anxiety among adults enrolled in the UK biobank (UKB).

Setting and participants:

Utilizing data from the UKB, the study focused on participants who were free from depression or anxiety at baseline (2006-2010). All participants had signed the informed consent form.

Methods:

PHD scores were calculated using data from 24-hour dietary recall questionnaires (ranging from 0 to 140). Multivariable Cox regression models were used to examine the association between PHD and depression or anxiety.

Results:

A total of 173,699 individuals were included in this study. Over a median follow-up of 15.9 years, 4,757 depression and 3,657 anxiety incidents were recorded. In the fully adjusted model, participants with high adherence to PHD had a 9% and 10% reduced risk of developing depression (HR_{Q4 vs. Q1}: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.84-0.99, P_trend=0.037) and anxiety disorders (HR_{Q4 vs. Q1}: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.82-0.99, P_trend=0.074), respectively.

Conclusion:

Our findings suggest that adherence to the PHD may contribute to reducing the risk of depression. However, further validation through rigorously designed large-scale population studies is required to confirm these preliminary results.