Investigating how eating behavior shapes mental health: A cross-sectional study

This study aimed to examine the relationship between eating behavior, nutritional status and mental health. It is a cross-sectional study conducted on a sample of 360 healthy individuals aged 19-64 years. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was used to evaluate mental health and the Three-Factor Eating Scale (TFEQ-R21) was used to assess eating behavior. The Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) score was calculated from participants' 24 h food recalls as an indicator of diet quality. The mean age of the participants was 26.0 ± 8.40 years, and 50.6 % were female. Multivariate logistic regression model was performed. A statistically significant relationship was found between the participants' GHQ-12 score and both their emotional eating and uncontrolled eating scores (p < 0.001 for each). It was determined that individuals who had high levels of emotional eating and uncontrolled eating behaviors, along with higher dietary protein and lipid intake, and lower intake of long-chain fatty acids, were at a higher risk of mental health deterioration, according to the established model (R2 = 0.214). Dietary energy and nutrient intakes such as niacin, vitamin B12, folic acid, phosphorus, iron, sodium and carotene, as well as diet quality and BMI were not associated with mental health according to the model in this study. Eating behavior is associated with mental well-being, and nutritional status may be one of the underlying factors contributing to this association.