Egg consumption in relation to psychological disorders, inflammation, and oxidative stress among adults: results from a cross-sectional study in Iran

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Few studies explored the association between egg consumption and depression, anxiety, and high psychological distress, and their findings were controversial. Moreover, no investigation was carried out on the association between this dietary item and oxidative stress and inflammation, which are related to psychological disorders. We aimed to perform the current study to present a comprehensive view of the issue among adults. METHODS: In total, 533 Iranian adults (46.2 female) with a mean age of 42.59 were included in the study. Egg consumption was assessed using a semi-quantitative 168-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Depression and anxiety were evaluated via the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and psychological distress was assessed using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers were evaluated using the participant's blood sample after a 12-hour fast. RESULTS: Based on fully adjusted model, participants in the third tertile had lower odds of depression (OR(T3 vs. T1)=0.45; 95CI: 0.24-0.82) and of high psychological distress (OR(T3 vs. T1)=0.44; 95CI: 0.27-0.72). Moreover, each tertile increase was associated with reduced odds of depression (OR(trend)=0.67; 95CI: 0.49-0.91) and high psychological distress (OR(trend)=0.67; 95CI: 0.52-0.85). These associations were particularly significant among ones with normal weight regarding both depression (OR(T3 vs. T1)=0.04; 95CI: 0.00-0.41) and distress (OR(T3 vs. T1)=0.16; 95CI: 0.06-0.43). The same pattern was evident for continuous analyses of depression (OR(trend)=0.38; 95CI: 0.19-0.76) and distress (OR(trend)=0.41; 95CI: 0.25-0.66) in individuals with normal weight. There was a linear association between egg with malonaldehyde (B=-16.784 mU/mL; 95 CI: -30.090, -3.479) and superoxide dismutase (B = 0.084 unit; 95 CI: 0.008, 0.160) among women. CONCLUSION: There was an inverse dose-related association between egg consumption and depression and high psychological distress. Moreover, egg consumption was related to lower oxidative stress among women.