Calorie-restricted, nutrient-restricted diets linked to increase in PHQ-9 depressive symptom severity scores in individuals with overweight
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, June 4, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Dietary patterns seem to be associated with depressive symptoms, according to a study published online June 3 in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health.
Gabriella Menniti, M.D., from Unity Health Toronto, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007 to 2018 data to examine the association between restrictive dietary patterns and depressive symptoms stratified by sex and body mass index.
A total of 28,525 adults were included in the study, 7.79 percent of whom reported depressive symptoms. The researchers found that those adhering to calorie-restrictive diets had a 0.29-point increase in Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depressive symptom severity scores compared with individuals not following a specific diet. Among individuals with overweight, calorie-restricted diets and nutrient-restricted diets were associated with a 0.46- and 0.61-point increase in PHQ-9 scores, respectively. Higher somatic symptom scores were seen for men who followed any diet versus those not on a diet. Compared with women not following a diet, men on a nutrient-restrictive diet had a 0.40-point increase in cognitive-affective symptom scores.
“Calorie-restricted diets were associated with higher depressive symptom scores, which contrasts with the findings of earlier controlled studies,” the authors write. “Future studies simulating real-world dieting are important as challenges such as nutritional deficiencies may arise and contribute to worsening depressive symptoms.”
One author disclosed ties to Roche, Novartis, and Eisai.
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