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Meta-Analysis
. 2023 Dec 29;16(1):125.
doi: 10.3390/nu16010125.

Association between Western Dietary Patterns, Typical Food Groups, and Behavioral Health Disorders: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

Huang Zhang  1 , Maiquan Li  2 , Lan Mo  2 , Jie Luo  2 , Qingwu Shen  2 , Wei Quan  1   2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Association between Western Dietary Patterns, Typical Food Groups, and Behavioral Health Disorders: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

Huang Zhang et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Western dietary patterns (WDP) and typical food groups may play a major role in the risk of behavioral health disorders. Nevertheless, the relationships between WDP, common food categories, and mental health disorders lack consistency and remain incompletely understood in relation to potential mechanisms. Therefore, the objective of the present study was conducted to synthesize available evidence linking WDP and typical food groups to these outcomes. Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, and MEDLINE were searched up to August 2023. Random effect meta-analyses were performed to obtain pooled odds ratio and the relative risk for the prevalence of outcomes and the incidence of outcomes, respectively. A total of 54 articles were included. WDP was associated with increased risk of both depression (1.19; 95% CI: 1.06-1.32) and depressive symptoms (1.20; 95% CI: 1.08-1.34). Except for high-fat dairy products, food groups are associated with an increased risk of anxiety, depression, and depressive symptoms. This review presents evidence to further understand the relationship between WDP, typical food groups, and the incidence of behavioral health disorders, and more randomized controlled trials and cohort studies are urgently required to confirm these findings and elucidate potential mechanisms.

Keywords: behavioral health disorders; depression; red meat; refined grain; western dietary patterns.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of the literature selection procedure.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Meta-analysis of adhere to Western dietary patterns and the maximum-adjusted risk ratio of behavioral health disorders using the random effects model. CI, confidence interval [13,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Meta-analysis of fast-food intakes and the maximum-adjusted risk ratio of behavioral health disorders using the random effects model. CI, confidence interval [16,35,36,37,38,39,40,49].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Meta-analysis of red-mesat intakes and the maximum-adjusted risk ratio of behavioral health disorders using the random effects model. CI, confidence interval [2,7,8,17,26,31,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60].
Figure 5
Figure 5
Meta-analysis of refined grain and the maximum-adjusted risk ratio of behavioral health disorders using the random effects model. CI, confidence interval [26,62,63,64].
Figure 6
Figure 6
Meta-analysis of sugar-sweetened beverage and the maximum-adjusted risk ratio of behavioral health disorders using the random effects model. CI, confidence interval [2,6,15,16,39,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,62].
Figure 7
Figure 7
Meta-analysis of high-fat dairy intakes and the maximum-adjusted risk ratio of behavioral health disorders using the random effects model. CI, confidence interval [7,31,65].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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