Dietary Factors Associated with Depressive Symptoms in Midlife Women 40-50 Years of Age Living in the United States.

Purpose: Women in the decade before menopause are at risk for depression. This study describes dietary factors associated with depression risk in late premenopausal women that could be modifiable with targeted interventions.

Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study comparing a community-based sample of 342 healthy premenopausal women categorized as low-risk and high-risk for depression in a secondary analysis of dietary variables. Depression risk was estimated with the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. Dietary variables were based on three random 24-hour diet recalls during a 1-week period that included an in-person visit with measures of potential covariates such as blood pressure, height, and weight for body mass index (BMI), a urine sample for follicle-stimulating hormone, demographic factors, exercise and sleep. Independent -tests were used initially to compare groups, followed by logistic regression to adjust for covariates. Statistical significance was set at ≤ 0.05.

Results: Depression risk (CES-D ≥ 16) was present in 30% of participants. Compared with the low-risk group, the high-risk group had significantly higher intake of polyunsaturated fat, omega-6 linoleic acid and sucrose, and lower intake of galactose, vitamin C, and omega-3 eicosapentaenoic acid. After adjusting for energy intake and significant covariates (income adequacy, education, race/ethnicity, marital status, BMI, exercise and sleep duration), only polyunsaturated fat, omega-6, and sucrose remained significant.

Conclusion: Depression prior to menopause is common and multifactorial. Findings support the importance of assessing saturated fats, omega-6 fatty acids, and sucrose. Attention to diet in addition to exercise and sleep may improve intervention outcomes for mental health in midlife women.