Associations between major dietary patterns and anxiety in middle-aged adults in eastern China

The current study aimed to evaluate the association of major dietary patterns with anxiety in middle-aged adults in eastern China.

Dietary intake was assessed using a semi-quantitative FFQ. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to estimate OR and 95 % CI for anxiety according to quartiles of each dietary pattern score.

Evidence regarding the relationship between dietary patterns and anxiety in the Chinese population is scarce.

The study participants were 1360 Chinese adults aged 45-59 years, who participated in a health survey at the time of periodic check-up in the city of Linyi, Shandong Province, China.

Four major dietary patterns were identified by factor analysis: traditional Chinese, western, grains-vegetables and high-salt diets. After adjusting for potential confounders, participants in the highest quartile of the western pattern had greater odds for anxiety, compared with those in the lowest quartile (OR 1·35, 95 % CI 1·000, 3·086, P < 0·05). In contrast, participants in the highest quartile of the grains-vegetables pattern had lower odds for anxiety than did those in the lowest quartile (OR 0·78, 95 % CI 0·574, 1·000, P < 0·05). Moreover, no significant associations were observed between the traditional Chinese and high-salt patterns and the risk of anxiety.

Our findings indicate that the western pattern is associated with an increased risk, and the grains-vegetables pattern is associated with a decreased risk of anxiety.