Betel-quid Use Is Associated with Depression

Background: Betel-quid use is linked to cancer and other adverse health effects. However, its potential impact on depression has not been well studied. Objective: To investigate the association between betel-quid use and depression. Methods: We analyzed the data of 43,636 men from the Taiwan Biobank. Participants were divided into two groups on the basis of betel-quid use: never-user and ever-user groups. Depression was defined according to self-reported medical history in the questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between betel-quid use and depression. Results: The average age of the participants was 49.89 ± 11.36 years. Among them, 16.31% were ever-users of betel quids. In the never-user group (n = 36,521), 828 participants (2.27%) reported a history of depression. However, 75 of 2,592 participants in the ever-user group (2.89%) reported a similar history. The adjusted odds ratio for depression in the ever-user group compared with the never-user group was 1.265, indicating its association with depression. Daily consumption of 11-30 betel quids was associated with depression compared with consumption of ≤10 betel quids. However, no association was found for those consuming more than 30 betel quids daily. Conclusions: Betel-quid use is associated with depression. The association between betel-quid use and depression may not be linear, suggesting a complex dose-response effect.