A recent study published in The Journal of Nutrition reported an association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and depressive symptoms among pregnant women.

Prenatal depression, which is estimated to affect 1 out of every 7-8 pregnant women in the United States, is associated with an increased risk of adverse birth outcomes. It is also associated with a higher risk of postpartum depression. Although there is still much to understand about the relationship between diet and mental health, the Mediterranean diet is one of the most studied and promoted dietary patterns. Yet, the role of diet and/or dietary factors on depressive symptoms during pregnancy is limited in the United States and globally.

To bridge this knowledge gap, Vanessa Oddo (Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition, University of Illinois Chicago) and colleagues investigated the relationship between adherence to a Mediterranean diet and depressive symptoms among pregnant women in the United States. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES; 2005-2018), a nationally representative survey conducted to assess the health and nutritional status of Americans, was utilized for this study. Participants were women, aged 18-44 years of age with a positive urine pregnancy test. The Mediterranean diet score (aMED) was calculated using 1, 24-hour dietary recall, which ranged from 0-8. The aMED score was then dichotomized as high (>3) compared with low (<3). The Patient Health Questionnaire-9, which measures depressive symptoms, was dichotomized as lower compared with higher scores. The study investigated the association between aMED adherence and high depressive symptoms.

Approximately 5% of pregnant women had moderate to severe depressive symptoms, and 45% were highly adherent to a Mediterranean diet. Higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with lower odds of depressive symptoms.  Although there is still much to understand about the relationship between diet and depressive symptoms, this relationship merits further examination given the public significance of promoting mental wellness among pregnant women.

References

Oddo VM, Moise C, Welke L, Peñalver Bernabé B, Maki P, Koenig MD, Pezley L, Xia Y, Tussing-Humphreys L. Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Depressive Symptoms among a Nationally Representative Sample of Pregnant Women in the United States. The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 153, Issue 10, October 2023, Pages 3041-3048, doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.08.022.

Images via canva.com.

Read the full article

Kathy Beerman, PhD

Dr. Kathy Beerman teaches in the School of Biological Sciences at Washington State University. The author of several published articles, she is interested in research that focuses on the efficacy of a novel approach to treating iron deficiency anemia in rural regions of Guatemala and Ecuador. Dr. Beerman teaches an undergraduate nutrition course for health majors, as well as a course that prepares students to participate in a 10-day medical mission to Guatemala. Since joining the faculty at Washington State University in 1990, she has been the recipient of several teaching awards (the Burlington Northern Faculty Meritorious Achievement in Teaching Award, the R.M. Wade Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Sahlin Faculty Excellence Award for Instruction). More recently, she received the CAS Outstanding Achievement Award in International Activities (2017) and the President’s Award for Leadership (2018). Other scholarly activities include co-author of two introductory nutrition textbooks (Nutritional Sciences: From Fundamentals to Food and NUTR).