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Nutrients
Article . 2026 . Peer-reviewed
License: CC BY
Data sources: Crossref
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Plant-Based Diet Indices and Depression in University Students: The Nuts4Brain-Z Study

Authors: Valentina Díaz-Goñi; Fernando Peral-Martínez; Tomás Olivo-Martins-de-Passos; María Eugenia Visier-Alfonso; Nuria Beneit; Estela Jiménez-López; Arthur Eumann Mesas; +1 Authors

Plant-Based Diet Indices and Depression in University Students: The Nuts4Brain-Z Study

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Evidence on the associations between adherence to different plant-based diet indices and depression in young adults remains limited. This study aimed to analyze the associations of overall, healthy, and unhealthy plant-based diet indices with depressive symptoms in university students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023 with self-reported data from university students in Cuenca, Spain. Adherence to the overall plant-based diet index (PDI) and to the healthy (hPDI) and unhealthy (uPDI) plant-based diet indices were calculated using data from a 137-item food-frequency questionnaire. Mild-to-severe depression was defined as a Beck Depression Inventory II score > 13 points. Linear and logistic regression models were adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle-related confounders. Results: A total of 392 students (mean age: 20.9 ± 2.4 years; 70.4% female) were included. The prevalence of mild-to-severe depression was 36.0%. Higher hPDI and overall PDI scores were associated with lower depressive symptom scores, whereas uPDI scores showed a positive but non-significant association after full adjustment. In logistic regression analyses, high adherence to the hPDI was associated with lower odds of mild-to-severe depression (OR = 0.51; 95% CI: 0.28–0.95; p-for-trend = 0.030). In contrast, higher uPDI adherence was associated with greater odds of depression, although the association was attenuated after adjustment for lifestyle-related variables. Conclusions: Greater adherence to a healthy plant-based diet was associated with lower depressive symptoms and lower odds of mild-to-severe depression among university students. These findings highlight the importance of plant food quality, rather than plant-based diets per se, in relation to depression in young adults.

Keywords

lifestyle, depressive symptoms, college students, young adult, diet

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
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