Association between whole egg consumption and depression among older adults: Birjand Longitudinal Aging Study (BLAS)

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Fakhrzadeh, Hossein^a | Moodi, Mitra^{b; c} | Sajadi Hezaveh, Zohreh^d | Kami, Atefe^e | Arzaghi, Seyed Masoud^a | Esmaeili, Aliakbar^{f; g} | Khodabakhshi, Huriye^b | Khorashadizadeh, Masoumeh^b | Ejtahed, Hanieh-Sadat^{h; i; *} | Sharifi, Farshad^{i; *}

Affiliations: [a] Elderly Health Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Population Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran | [b] Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran | [c] School of Health, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran | [d] Faculty of Medicine and Health, Department of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | [e] Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran | [f] School of Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran | [g] Medical Toxicology & Drug Abuse Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran | [h] Obesity and Eating Habits Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran | [i] Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding authors: Farshad Sharifi, Assistant Professor, Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Tel.: +989122014236; E-mail: [email protected] and Hanieh-Sadat Ejtahed, Assistant Professor, Obesity and Eating Habits Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Tel.: +989364401105; E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: BACKGROUND:Egg consumption may be associated with the risk of depression. OBJECTIVES:We aimed to assess this possible relationship in the context of the Birjand longitudinal aging study (BLAS). METHODS:In this cross-sectional study PHQ-9 was used to assess depression in a total of 1364 adults above 60 years of age, participating in the first stage of BLAS between September 2018 to April 2019. Socio-demographic information, anthropometric indices, and number of whole eggs consumed per week were assessed. Depression was assessed across the egg consumption groups: low (≤1 eggs/week), moderate (≥2 to ≤3 eggs/week), and high (≥4 eggs/week), and the association was investigated using logistic regression. RESULTS:Mean egg intake in the studied population was 2.4 eggs/week. In the crude model and after adjustment for age and sex, moderate and high egg consumption were both associated with lower risk of depression in older adults (P≤0.05). Adjustment for more confounding variables revealed that only moderate egg consumption protected against depression, while high egg consumers were still at risk of depression. CONCLUSION:Both moderate and high egg intake had reverse association with depression, and reduced the odds of depression among the elderly to approximately 30–40%. Future longitudinal studies could better confirm this association.

Keywords: Depression, elderly, dietary intake, egg

DOI: 10.3233/MNM-230087

Journal: Mediterranean Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 179-189, 2024