Legume and nut consumption in relation to depression, anxiety and psychological distress in Iranian adults

Abstract

Purpose Although considerable research has been devoted to the link between consumption of legume and nuts and metabolic abnormalities, few studies have examined legume and nut consumption in relation to psychological disorders. The current study aimed to examine the association of legume and nut consumption with depression, anxiety and psychological distress in Iranian adults. Methods This cross-sectional study was carried out among 3172 adult participants aged 18-55 years. Assessment of legume and nut consumption was conducted using a validated dish-based 106-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. The Iranian validated version of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to examine psychological health. Scores of 8 or more on either subscale in the questionnaire were considered to indicate the presence of depression or anxiety. Data on psychological distress were collected using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), in which the score of 4 or more was considered as having psychological distress. Results The mean age of participants was 36.5 +/- 7.9 years. In the fully adjusted model, men in the top quintile of legume and nut consumption were 66 less likely to be anxious than those in the bottom quintile (OR 0.34; 95 CI 0.14-0.82). However, such significant relationship was not observed among women (OR 1.06; 95 CI 0.63-1.77). We failed to find any other significant association between legume and nut consumption and depression or psychological distress after adjustment for potential confounders either in men or women. Conclusions We found that consumption of legume and nuts was associated with lower odds of anxiety in men, but not in women. No other significant association was seen among participants. Legume and nut consumption might be promising and, along with medications, could be used to prevent, control or delay psychological disorders.