Vol. 5 No. 1 (2025): Issue 5
Articles

Exploring dietary influences on depression and anxiety symptoms: findings from a cross-sectional survey

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  • Kerri M. Gillespie,
  • Eva Kemps,
  • Melanie J. White,
  • Selena E. Bartlett
Kerri M. Gillespie
School of Clinical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Eva Kemps
Institute of Mental Health and Wellbeing, College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia
Melanie J. White
School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Selena E. Bartlett
School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71070/jcbm.v5i1.142

Published 2025-05-10

Keywords

  • Sugar-sweetened beverages,
  • SSB,
  • caffeine,
  • dietary fibre,
  • depression,
  • anxiety
    • ...More
    Less

How to Cite

M. Gillespie, K., Kemps, E., J. White, M., & E. Bartlett, S. (2025). Exploring dietary influences on depression and anxiety symptoms: findings from a cross-sectional survey. Journal of Computational Biology and Medicine, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.71070/jcbm.v5i1.142

Abstract

Diet is widely recognized as an important determinant of health, yet the associations between individual macronutrients and mental health remain unclear. To address this, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 129 healthy adults using an online food frequency questionnaire along with validated measures of depression, anxiety, and early life experiences. Among participants, 31% reported moderate or severe anxiety and/or depression. Sugar-sweetened beverage intake was positively associated with depressive symptoms (β = 4.827; 95% CI: 0.954–8.7; p = 0.015), while dietary fibre intake was negatively associated with anxiety (β = –2.306; 95% CI: –3.791 to –0.82; p = 0.003). Moderate caffeine consumption (100–300 mg) was linked to reduced depression (β = –4.099; 95% CI: –7.049 to –1.15; p = 0.007), suggesting a possible U-shaped effect, and women reported higher rates of both depression and anxiety. We also observed preliminary evidence of an association between high-fructose corn syrup and depressive symptoms and a protective role of fibre against anxiety. Overall, these findings highlight specific dietary factors linked to mental health, warranting further prospective studies with repeated dietary assessments to confirm and extend these results.

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