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BMC Medicine
Published in: BMC Medicine 1/2013

Open Access 01-12-2013 | Research article

Mediterranean dietary pattern and depression: the PREDIMED randomized trial

Authors: Almudena Sánchez-Villegas, Miguel Angel Martínez-González, Ramón Estruch, Jordi Salas-Salvadó, Dolores Corella, Maria Isabel Covas, Fernando Arós, Dora Romaguera, Enrique Gómez-Gracia, José Lapetra, Xavier Pintó, Jose Alfredo Martínez, Rosa María Lamuela-Raventós, Emilio Ros, Alfredo Gea, Julia Wärnberg, Lluis Serra-Majem

Published in: BMC Medicine | Issue 1/2013

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Abstract

Background

A few observational studies have found an inverse association between adherence to a Mediterranean diet and the risk of depression. Randomized trials with an intervention based on this dietary pattern could provide the most definitive answer to the findings reported by observational studies. The aim of this study was to compare in a randomized trial the effects of two Mediterranean diets versus a low-fat diet on depression risk after at least 3 years of intervention.

Methods

This was a multicenter, randomized, primary prevention field trial of cardiovascular disease (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea (PREDIMED Study)) based on community-dwelling men aged 55 to 80 years and women aged 60 to 80 years at high risk of cardiovascular disease (51% of them had type 2 diabetes; DM2) attending primary care centers affiliated with 11 Spanish teaching hospitals. Primary analyses were performed on an intention-to-treat basis. Cox regression models were used to assess the relationship between the nutritional intervention groups and the incidence of depression.

Results

We identified 224 new cases of depression during follow-up. There was an inverse association with depression for participants assigned to a Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts (multivariate hazard ratio (HR) 0.78; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.55 to 1.10) compared with participants assigned to the control group, although this was not significant. However, when the analysis was restricted to participants with DM2, the magnitude of the effect of the intervention with the Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts did reach statistical significance (multivariate HR = 0.59; 95% CI 0.36 to 0.98).

Conclusions

The result suggest that a Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts could exert a beneficial effect on the risk of depression in patients with DM2.

Trial registration

This trial has been registered in the Current Controlled Trials with the number ISRCTN 35739639
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Mediterranean dietary pattern and depression: the PREDIMED randomized trial
Authors
Almudena Sánchez-Villegas
Miguel Angel Martínez-González
Ramón Estruch
Jordi Salas-Salvadó
Dolores Corella
Maria Isabel Covas
Fernando Arós
Dora Romaguera
Enrique Gómez-Gracia
José Lapetra
Xavier Pintó
Jose Alfredo Martínez
Rosa María Lamuela-Raventós
Emilio Ros
Alfredo Gea
Julia Wärnberg
Lluis Serra-Majem
Publication date
01-12-2013
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Medicine / Issue 1/2013
Electronic ISSN: 1741-7015
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7015-11-208

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