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A new study reveals that ultra-processed food consumption may significantly raise the risk of depression in women, while men appear less affected after early adulthood. Could sex-specific diet advice be the future of mental health prevention? Dietary Patterns and Major Depression: Results from 15,262 Participants (International ALIMENTAL Study) . Image Credit: Kwangmoozaa / Shutterstock For ages, dietary patterns have been linked to mental health, but there is little evidence on how food and drink affect depression across age groups and between the sexes.
A recent paper in the journal Nutrients explored how the risk of depression varied with age and depending on sex, providing potentially useful information to shape targeted interventions for vulnerable groups. Introduction Scientists have established the increased risk of depression with unhealthy dietary patterns. People who habitually consume plenty of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and olive oil – the Mediterranean diet pattern – have a much lower risk compared to those on a standard Western diet with high fat, sugar, and energy, comprising ultra-processed foods (UPF).
Women are also at a higher risk than men, perhaps in part due to their tendency to eat in response to emotional stress. Such comfort eating is often sugar-rich or otherwise high in energy content. Young people in particular are prone to sugar-sweetened soft drinks and UPF.
The longitudinal change in exposure to UPF and the change in risk with such exposure over the life course have not been well studied. However, the consumption of whole foods vs. UPF has changed dramatically with globalization and Westernization.
The international ALIMENTAL study—conducted in countries including France, Canada, and Australia, though the questionnaire was distributed in French, potentially limiting non-Francophone representation—sought to examine the impact of this change in adults from 18 years onwards via an international survey. All participants were healthy and not currently on any medications for mental illness. The PNNS questionnaire (Programme National Nutrition Santé) was used to assess food consumption by nutrient category and food group, including UPF as per the Nova food classification system.
The questionnaire also included other factors such as nutritional knowledge, physical exercise, socioeconomic status, and educational level. Study Findings The study had 15,262 participants, of whom 86% were women. The average age was 33.
Participants were recruited from diverse geographic regions, though the questionnaire was distributed in French, potentially limiting non-Francophone representation. About 32% were depressed, 10% were obese, and 18% were current smokers. Physical inactivity was reported by 14%.
78% said they knew a lot about healthy eating. A healthy diet was associated with 16% lower odds of depression in women aged 18–34 and 18% lower odds among women aged 35–54. For women over 55, the association was weaker and statistically nonsignificant.
Interestingly, women in the younger age group who ate high-glycemic foods, processed fats, fish, dairy foods, and fruit juices had an 8% reduction in their risk of depression. Conversely, eating chips, salty biscuits, fried foods, pre-cooked meals, and industrially processed foods, among others, which fell into the UPF category, was associated with a 21% higher risk of depression among people of both sexes between 18 and 34 years. Women between 35 and 54 years also had a higher risk of depression following UPF exposure, with 30% increased odds.
Over 55 years, the odds were 41% higher with UPF consumption. Women who ate more canned or frozen foods or sweetened soft drinks had 10% higher odds of being depressed. However, the risk was similarly higher for women who consumed omega-3 fatty acids or proteins in the form of supplements, chia seeds, or oat flakes.
The reasons for these unexpected associations need to be explored, but they may include reverse causality (meaning depression might influence dietary choices rather than vice versa). Alternatively, individuals who consume these may do so at the cost of other healthy foods. Non-dietary factors were at work.
Thus, individuals with more nutritional knowledge, having a live-in partner or children at home, or higher education, were less likely to be depressed. In contrast, current smokers, obese and unemployed individuals, and those with phototypes (skin types) 1 and 2 (those with blonde or red hair, potentially linked to lower vitamin D synthesis) were at greater risk for depression. Mechanisms and Limitations The findings of increased depression risk with sugary drinks and UPF consumption corroborate earlier meta-analyses.
The specific relationship with women may be due to the difference in their hormonal profiles, as well as in their metabolic pathways. Apart from this, men and women may consume different types and amounts of UPF. The impact of UPF on the gut microbiome is becoming well-known.
Since gut microbes may vary between men and women, this is another source of variation between the sexes. Finally, men may react differently to health messaging about UPFs and other dietary patterns than women. However, the study’s cross-sectional design limits causal conclusions, as dietary habits and depression were assessed simultaneously.
Self-reported dietary data may also introduce recall bias. Additionally, the sample overrepresented women (86%) and younger adults, with only 7% aged ≥55. Conclusions While UPF consumption increased depression odds over all age groups in women, this was not the case with men.
They experienced an increased risk of depression only between the ages of 18 and 34. Women with healthy dietary patterns were at lower risk of depression between 18 and 54 years, but this was not the case with men. These findings must be validated through longitudinal studies and clinical trials to confirm causality.
They could help evolve programs to prevent depression in high-risk subgroups of the population. Achour, Y., Lucas, G.
, Iceta, S., et al. (2025).
Dietary Patterns and Major Depression: Results from 15,262 Participants (International ALIMENTAL Study). Nutrients . doi: 10.
3390/nu17091583, https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/17/9/1583.
