Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 2, 2026
Author Spotlight: Unveiling the Connection Between Sleep Disorders and Cognitive Symptoms in Depression
Published on: April 26, 2024
The relationship between dietary quality, serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) level, and the Val66met
Amy Froud1, Jenifer Murphy1, Lachlan Cribb1
1a ARCADIA Mental Health Research Group, Professorial Unit, The Melbourne Clinic, Department of Psychiatry , University of Melbourne , 2 Salisbury St, Melbourne 3121 , Australia.
Background:
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophic factor implicated in the pathogenesis of depression, may be influenced by dietary quality. Both dietary quality and serum BDNF have been researched independently in regard to their effect on depression; however, there is limited research investigating the relationship between the two factors and how they interact in depression. Additionally, a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (Val66Met) in the BDNF gene, which has been implicated in BDNF levels and depression, may contribute to the complex relationship between depression, dietary quality, and BDNF level.
Methods:
One hundred and eighty-seven participants with major depressive disorder and 55 non-depressed healthy controls were recruited for this case-control analysis. The relationship between dietary quality and depression was assessed via a novel dietary quality score (the Australian Dietary Quality Score). Serum BDNF levels were measured and the Val66Met SNP was genotyped.
Results:
Healthy controls had a significantly higher diet quality than depressed participants (t = 2.435, P = 0.016). A logistic regression model investigating age, sex, serum BDNF levels, dietary quality and depression, as well as any interactions, found that lower dietary quality, and surprisingly, higher BDNF levels, were associated with increased depression risk, P = 0.037 and P < 0.001, respectively. Neither seasonality (at the time of recruitment) nor the Val66Met polymorphism was associated with BDNF levels in this sample. Furthermore, there was no evidence of interaction between the Val66Met polymorphism, BDNF levels, dietary quality, and depression.
Conclusion:
Higher dietary quality was associated with both decreased depression incidence and severity in this cross-sectional analysis. The Val66Met polymorphism did not appear to predict BDNF levels, depression incidence, or modify the relationship between dietary quality and BDNF. Further studies utilizing a larger sample size are needed to confirm this finding.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:21Factors Affecting Dissolution: Polymorphism, Amorphism and Pseudopolymorphism
Some polymorphic crystals possess lower aqueous solubility than their amorphous counterparts, leading to incomplete absorption. For instance, the oral suspension of Chloramphenicol, which...
02:12Relationship Formation
01:05Long-term Depression
01:23Dietary Connections
03:12Freezing Point Depression and Boiling Point Elevation
The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which its vapor pressure is equal to ambient atmospheric pressure. Since the vapor pressure of a solution is lowered due to the presence of nonvolatile solutes, it stands to reason that the solution’s boiling point will subsequently be increased. Vapor pressure increases with temperature, and so a solution will require a higher temperature than will pure solvent to achieve any given vapor pressure, including one...
01:28Depressants
Alcohol is a common depressant that can induce a sense of relaxation and reduced inhibition at low doses. Contrary to its occasional...