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Patterns of dietary intake and psychological distress in older Australians: benefits not just from a Mediterranean diet

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 December 2012

Allison Hodge ,
Osvaldo P. Almeida ,
Dallas R. English ,
Graham G. Giles  and
Leon Flicker
Allison Hodge*
Affiliation:
Cancer Epidemiology Centre, Cancer Council Victoria, Carlton, Victoria, Australia
Osvaldo P. Almeida
Affiliation:
Western Australian Centre for Health and Ageing, Western Australian Institute for Medical Research, Perth, Western Australia, Australia School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia Department of Psychiatry, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Dallas R. English
Affiliation:
Cancer Epidemiology Centre, Cancer Council Victoria, Carlton, Victoria, Australia Centre for MEGA Epidemiology, School of Population Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Graham G. Giles
Affiliation:
Cancer Epidemiology Centre, Cancer Council Victoria, Carlton, Victoria, Australia Centre for MEGA Epidemiology, School of Population Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Leon Flicker
Affiliation:
Western Australian Centre for Health and Ageing, Western Australian Institute for Medical Research, Perth, Western Australia, Australia School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia Department of Geriatric Medicine, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Allison Hodge, Research Coordinator-Core Programs, Cancer Epidemiology Centre, Cancer Council Victoria, 100 Drummond Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia. Phone: +61-3-9635-5063; Fax: +61-3-9635-5063. Email: allison.hodge@cancervic.org.au.
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Abstract

Background: Anxiety and depression contribute to morbidity in elderly adults and may be associated with diet. We investigated the association between diet and psychological distress as a marker for depression.

Methods: Dietary patterns were defined by factor analysis or the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS); depression and anxiety were assessed 12 years later. A total of 8,660 generally healthy men and women born in Australia and aged 50–69 years from the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study were included. At baseline (1990–1994), diet (food frequency questionnaire), education, Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) – Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage, medication use, social engagement, physical activity, smoking status, alcohol use, and health conditions were assessed; at follow-up (2003–2007), psychological distress was assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Logistic regression was used to identify associations between diet and a K10 score ≥20, indicative of psychological distress.

Results: The MDS was inversely associated with psychological distress, with the odds ratio in the top-scoring group relative to the lowest scoring group being 0.72 (95% confidence interval = 0.54–0.95). Stronger adherence to a traditional Australian-style eating pattern was also associated with a lower K10 score at follow-up, with the odds ratio for having a K10 score indicative of psychological distress for the top 20% of adherence to this pattern relative to the lowest being 0.61 (95% confidence interval = 0.40–0.91).

Conclusions: A Mediterranean-style diet was associated with less psychological distress, possibly through provision of a healthy nutrient profile. The Australian dietary pattern, which included some foods high in fat and sugar content along with whole foods, also showed a weak inverse association. Adherence to this pattern may reflect a feeling of belonging to the community associated with less psychological distress.

Keywords

depressiondietary patternselderlypopulation-basedMediterranean
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 25 , Issue 3 , March 2013 , pp. 456 - 466
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2012

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