Associations between dietary carotenoid intakes and the risk of depressive symptoms

Dietary factors play an important role in the development of depressive symptoms. Carotenoids have effective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, but few studies have explored the associations between dietary carotenoid intake and depressive symptoms.

To evaluate the association between dietary carotenoid intake and the risk of depressive symptoms in adults from the United States.

This cross-sectional study included adult participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2016. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patients' Health Questionnaire-9. Intake of carotenoids was obtained through two 24-h dietary recall interviews. We applied logistic regression models and restricted cubic spline models to evaluate the associations of dietary alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein with zeaxanthin, and total carotenoid intake with the risk of depressive symptoms.

Overall, a total of 17,401 adults aged 18-80 years were included in this study. After adjustment for potential confounders, the odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of depressive symptoms in the highest versus lowest quartiles were 0.71 (0.56-0.92) for alpha-carotene, 0.59 (0.47-0.75) for beta-carotene, 0.71 (0.55-0.92) for beta-cryptoxanthin, 0.66 (0.49-0.89) for lycopene, 0.50 (0.39-0.64) for lutein with zeaxanthin, and 0.59 (0.45-0.78) for total carotenoid intake. U-shaped dose-response relationships were found between both beta-carotene and lutein with zeaxanthin intake and the risk of depressive symptoms.

Results suggest that alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein with zeaxanthin, and total carotenoid intake may be inversely associated with the risk of depressive symptoms in the U.S. adults.