Search

Abstract Background The association between the number of food kinds and the risk of depression in adults was examined. Methods According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 4593 adults were included in the study. The number of food kinds was collected via 24‒hour dietary recalls. Depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire‒9. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline models were applied to assess the association between the number of food kinds and the risk of depression. Results This study included 4593 study participants, 451 of whom were diagnosed with depression. The revised advantage ratios (with corresponding confidence intervals) for the prevalence of depression among individuals in the fourth quartiles of the number of food kinds (Q4) in comparison to the lowest quartile (Q1) were determined to be 0.59 (0.36‒0.96), respectively. According to our subgroup analyses, the number of food kinds was negatively associated with the risk of depression in females, participants aged 18‒45 and 45‒65 years, and participants with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 24.9 kg/m2. According to our dose‒response analysis, the number of food kinds was linearly associated with the risk of depression (P for nonlinear=0.5896). Conclusion The risk of depression exhibited a linear and negative correlation with the number of food kinds. The results indicated that a diversified diet was an effective nonpharmacological approach that deserved further generalization.