Association between dietary total antioxidant capacity and sleep problems and depressive symptoms among U.S. adults

BackgroundIn this study, we aim to examine the impact of dietary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) on sleep problems and depressive symptoms (DS); besides, we seek to elucidate the potential mediating effect of dietary TAC on the relationships between sleep problems and DS.MethodsWeighted Kruskal–Wallis tests for continuous variables and Chi-square tests for categorical variables were employed to discriminate between DS and non-DS participants. Multivariable logistic regression and restricted cubic spline analysis were applied to evaluate the associations of TAC with DS and sleep problems.ResultsAmong the 21,805 participants, 1,947 participants suffered from DS. Weighted multivariable logistical regression indicated that shorter sleep hours were linked to an increased likelihood of risk of DS even after complete adjustments. Restricted cubic spline cure displayed that TAC was almost non-linearly correlated with DS and sleep problems. Mediation analysis indicated that sleep duration slightly mediated the association between TAC and DS (proportion of mediation: 3.12%, p