Fruits and Vegetables Might Reduce Psychological Distress in Older Women

Consuming fruit and vegetables might help to reduce psychological distress in middle-aged and older women, according to a recent study.

Researchers conducted a cross-sectional and prospective study that included 60,404 Australian men and women aged 45 years and older. Participants completed a questionnaire at baseline (from 2006 to 2008), and a follow-up questionnaire in 2010. The questionnaires contained short validated questions on fruit and vegetable consumption and assessed psychological distress using the validated Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). 
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Psychological distress was defined as a K10 score of 22 or greater, indicating a presence of high-to-very high levels of distress. Researchers used logistic regression models to examine associations between baseline fruit and vegetable consumption and prevalence or incidence of psychological distress.

At baseline, 5.6% of participants reported psychological distress. After a mean 2.7 years of follow-up, 4% of participants who had not reported psychological distress at baseline reported distress.

After adjustments for sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle risk factors, the researchers found that baseline fruit and vegetable consumption, measured separately or together, was associated with a lower prevalence of psychological distress. In addition, baseline fruit and vegetable consumption, considered separately or combined, was associated with a lower incidence of psychological distress in minimally adjusted models. While most of the associations remained significant at medium levels of intake, they were no longer significant at the highest levels of intake in fully adjusted models.

The researchers noted that after stratifying the analyses by sex, the association between fruit and vegetable consumption and incidence of psychological distress was stronger in women and significant for all consumption levels.

“Although findings from this study lend support to existing public health guidelines which encourage fruit and vegetable consumption as part of a healthy diet and add evidence to support the benefits of fruit and vegetables for mental health, further research is…needed,” the researchers concluded.

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Nguyen B, Ding D, and Mihrshahi S. Fruit and vegetable consumption and psychological distress: cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses based on a large Australian sample [published online March 15, 2017] BMJ. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014201.