"Insufficient dietary fiber intake increases the risk of stress and depression by more than 40%"
Sep 23, 2024
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A research team of family medicine professors Park Min-sun and Cho Shin-young at Seoul National University Hospital announced on the 23rd that they analyzed the link between eating fiber and mental health according to gender on 11,288 adults aged 40 to 79.
Mental health problems such as depression and anxiety can negatively affect cardiovascular disease, cancer, and various chronic diseases. Recent studies have reported that mental health is also linked to individual diet and nutrition, with Western diets high in fat increasing the risk of developing depression and Mediterranean diets reducing anxiety.
The research team paid particular attention to the association between 'diet fiber intake' and mental health. Dietary fiber, a type of indigestible carbohydrate, is one of the beneficial food groups known to improve the gut microbial environment, increase digestion, and reduce inflammation.
Based on the screening data of 4112 men and 7,176 women enrolled in the Korean Genome Epidemiology Research Cohort (KoGES), the research team divided daily dietary fiber intake into 1st to 5th quartiles. After that, the mental health status of the 'minimum dietary fiber intake group (fifth quartile)' and the rest of the group was compared by gender.
Mental health was evaluated in four categories: ▲high stress perception (BEPSI-K) ▲subjective health status ▲social psychological discomfort (PWI-SF) ▲depression (CES-DK), and adjusted for demographic characteristics and lifestyle variables such as age, smoking, exercise, and income.
As a result of the analysis, low dietary fiber intake increased the risk of mental health deterioration. The minimum dietary fiber intake group increased the risk of 'social psychological discomfort' by 46% for men and 53% for women than the rest of the group. In addition, the risk of 'high stress awareness' increased by 43% for men and the risk of 'depression' increased by 40% for women.
In addition, the research team confirmed that the risk of deteriorating mental health of men and women varies according to 'total energy intake (kcal)' through sub-analysis on the minimum dietary fiber intake group.
Men in the minimum dietary fiber intake group had a higher risk of mental health deterioration when their total energy intake was high and women were low. Exceptionally, women did not see a significant increase in the risk of at least mental health deterioration in dietary fiber intake when their total energy intake was high. In women with relatively weak digestive power compared to men, the research team emphasized that dietary fiber intake at least activates regular physical activity and digestive function through sufficient energy intake, which can ultimately help improve mental health.
In addition, the risk of deteriorating mental health increased significantly when the minimum dietary fiber intake group was combined with 'Very active physical activity (more than 3 moderate-intensity aerobic exercises per week, more than 5 hours in total), and this trend was more pronounced in men than in women. The research team explained that since male muscle fibers have many type 2 muscle fibers that mainly use carbohydrates as energy sources, it can help secure enough energy for physical activity through proper intake of dietary fiber, a type of carbohydrate.
Professor Park Min-sun (Department of Family Medicine) "This study confirmed that proper dietary fiber intake is an essential factor in the mental health of both men and women."In particular, it will be important to come up with customized dietary recommendations that take into account the level of physical activity and total energy intake of individuals" he said.
Meanwhile, the study was published in the recent issue of the international journal Nutrients.
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