The current study assessed, by university and sex, the association between nutritional behaviour (twelve independent variables), and stress and depressive symptoms (dependent variables) in a sample from three UK countries.
A survey was conducted among undergraduates in the UK to study stress and depressive symptoms.
Carbohydrates and Sugars: Carbohydrate consumption seems to alleviate depressive moods and this has been viewed as part of the link for developing obesity. For sugars, when 91 stressed, students with increased appetite selected significantly more types of sweet foods (e.g. desserts, chocolate/candy bars, candy, ice cream. A diet high in refined carbohydrates and sugars is common in depressive illness.
Healthy Eating Choices and Fat Content of Foods: a study of stress and appetite and eating habits of students found that under normal conditions, 80% of students made healthy eating choices, however, only 33% ate healthy when stressed (18). Equally, stress not only increased food consumption in certain individuals but also shifted their food choices from lower fat to higher fat food.
Consuming ‘unhealthy’ foods (e.g. sweets/cookies/snacks/fast food) was significantly positively associated with perceived stress (females only) and depressive symptoms for both males and for females. Conversely, consuming ‘healthy’ foods (e.g. fresh fruits, salads, cooked vegetables) was significantly negatively associated with perceived stress and depressive symptoms scores for both sexes.
There was a significant positive association between the consumption of fish/sea food and depressive symptoms among males only. For both males and females, the consumption of lemonade/soft drinks, meat/sausage products, dairy/dairy products, and cereal/cereal products were not associated with either perceived stress or depressive symptoms. The study findings should support the implementation of health promotion and prevention programmes at universities.
Your food is your mood!
El Ansari W, Adetunji H and Oskrochi R (2014) Food and mental health: relationship between food and perceived stress and depressive symptoms among university students in the United Kingdom, Central European journal of public health, 22(2), pp. 90–97.
