Work

Association between fruit and vegetable intake and symptoms of mental health conditions in Mexican Americans.

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: No studies so far have shown the effect of fruit and vegetable intake on mental disorders in Mexican Americans, for whom mental illness is an important health issue. This study measured the association of fruit and vegetable intake with the symptoms of cognitive impairment, the indication of increased risk of dementia, anxiety, and depression in Mexican Americans. METHOD: = 3,943), a randomly selected Mexican American cohort in Texas on the United States-Mexico border. Consumption of fruit and vegetables and symptoms of four mental disorders were assessed using reliable and validated instruments. RESULTS: = 0.16, 95% CI [0.03, 0.86]) compared with those who did not meet recommendations, after adjusting for covariates. Every portion increment of total fruit and vegetable intake was significantly associated with the reduced odds of mental disorders by 11% and the odds of cognitive impairment by 32%, with the adjustment of other covariates. No significant associations were found between fruit and vegetable intake and depression. CONCLUSION: Fruit and vegetable intake was inversely associated with symptoms of cognitive impairment, the indication of increased risk of dementia, and anxiety in Mexican Americans. Improving consumption of fruit and vegetables may be a convenient target for mental disorder-symptoms prevention and control among Mexican Americans, independent of other factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Source: Health Psychology

DOI: 10.1037/hea0000646

Authors: Shenghui Wu, Susan P. Fisher-Hoch, Belinda M. Reininger, Joseph B. McCormick

Language: English

Topic: Nutritional Studies and Diet

Subfield: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Zero hunger

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities

Awards: G3245218595, G3598512423, Center of Excellence for Diabetes in Americans of Mexican Descent, G6158017223, G6569196192