Journal
PUBLIC HEALTH NUTRITION
Volume 18, Issue 11, Pages 2074-2093Publisher
CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1017/S1368980014002614
Keywords
Diet; Diet intervention; Depression; Mental health
Funding
- La Trobe University
- Deakin University
- National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) [1052865]
- Brain and Behaviour Research Institute, the NHMRC
- Australian Rotary Health
- Geelong Medical Research Foundation
- Ian Potter Foundation
- Eli Lilly
- University of Melbourne
- Sanofi-Synthelabo
- Janssen Cilag
- Servier
- Pfizer
- Health Ed
- Network Nutrition
- Angelini Farmaceutica
- Meat and Livestock Australia
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Objective: Non-pharmacological approaches to the treatment of depression and anxiety are of increasing importance, with emerging evidence supporting a role for lifestyle factors in the development of these disorders. Observational evidence supports a relationship between habitual diet quality and depression. Less is known about the causative effects of diet on mental health outcomes. Therefore a systematic review was undertaken of randomised controlled trials of dietary interventions that used depression and/or anxiety outcomes and sought to identify characteristics of programme success. Design: A systematic search of the Cochrane, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PubMed and PyscInfo databases was conducted for articles published between April 1971 and May 2014. Results: Of the 1274 articles identified, seventeen met eligibility criteria and were included. All reported depression outcomes and ten reported anxiety or total mood disturbance. Compared with a control condition, almost half (47 %) of the studies observed significant effects on depression scores in favour of the treatment group. The remaining studies reported a null effect. Effective dietary interventions were based on a single delivery mode, employed a dietitian and were less likely to recommend reducing red meat intake, select leaner meat products or follow a low-cholesterol diet. Conclusions: Although there was a high level of heterogeneity, we found some evidence for dietary interventions improving depression outcomes. However, as only one trial specifically investigated the impact of a dietary intervention in individuals with clinical depression, appropriately powered trials that examine the effects of dietary improvement on mental health outcomes in those with clinical disorders are required.
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