Follow the EAT-Lancet diet to reduce anxiety and depression

Aim

Mental health disorders are the leading cause of avoidable suffering and premature mortality, affecting almost 30% of individuals.

Depression and anxiety are ranked as a leading contributor of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused a rise in mental health disorders and an additional 53–76 million cases of depression and anxiety worldwide, preventing mental health issues has become an even more pressing public health issue.

The EAT-Lancet diet was proposed in 2019 with the aim to increase both planetary and human health.

The diet is primarily plant-based, promoting the consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fish and chicken in moderation, while limiting the intake of red meat, added sugar, and saturated fat.

To investigate the role balanced nutrition plays in the development of mental disorders, this study aimed to investigate the associations between adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet and new-onset depression and anxiety.

Method

UK Biobank data was searched for participants. Inclusion criteria required completion of a 24-hour recall at least once.

Exclusion criteria included, previously having depression or anxiety, used anxiolytics or antidepressants, or had an abnormal total energy intake.

Degrees of adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet were translated into three dietary scores: Knuppel, Stubbendorff, and Kesse-Guyot.

Key findings

180,446 UK Biobank participants were included in the study with a mean age if 56.2, with the majority being female (53.5%). Mean follow-up was 11.62 (11-12.43) years.

Using the Knuppel EAT-Lancet index with incident depression and anxiety, each additional point of the EAT-Lancet diet score was associated with a 5.1% decreased risk of depression (hazard ratio (HR): 0.94, 95% confidence interval (CI)), a 4.7% decreased risk of anxiety (HR: 0.95, 95% CI), and a 6.3% decreased risk of co-occurrence of depression and anxiety (HR: 0.93, 95% CI), respectively.

A 2.6% lower risk of incident depression (HR: 0.974, 95% CI) and a 1.9% lower risk of incident anxiety (HR: 0.981, 95% CI) were associated with each incremental point rise on the Stubbendorff index.

Each 100-points increase of the Kesse-Guyot EAT-Lancet index was associated with a 13.6% decreased risk of depression (HR: 0.86, 95% CI), a 15.8% decreased risk of anxiety (HR: 0.84, 95% CI), and a 16.8% decreased risk of co-occurrence of depression and anxiety (HR: 0.83, 95% CI).

All EAT-Lancet index scores showed significant linear relationships between the EAT-Lancet index and anxiety, depression, and the co-occurrence of anxiety and depression.

Conclusion

Higher adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet was associated with lower risks of depression, anxiety, and their co-occurrence.

Higher adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet has the potential to cut land use by up to 62% and food-associated greenhouse gas emissions by up to 50%.

Additionally, it has been associated with lower risks of type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease, stroke, and all-cause mortality.

Encouraging this achievable and sustainable eating pattern may have significant benefits for the environment, as well as the population's physical and mental health.

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