Patterns of dietary intake and psychological distress in older Australians: Benefits not just from a Mediterranean diet

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Anxiety and depression contribute to morbidity in elderly adults and may be associated with diet. We investigated the association between diet and psychological distress as a marker for depression. Methods: Dietary patterns were defined by factor analysis or the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS); depression and anxiety were assessed 12 years later. A total of 8,660 generally healthy men and women born in Australia and aged 50-69 years from the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study were included. At baseline (1990-1994), diet (food frequency questionnaire), education, Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) - Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage, medication use, soc..