Consumo alimentar segundo a classificação nova e sua relação com sintomas de depressão, ansiedade e estresse em mulheres

Abstract

Depression, anxiety and stress are highly prevalent mental disorders worldwide, and food consumption may be altered in individuals with these conditions. The degree of food processing has been linked to mental health disorders, contributing negatively or positively to the development of metabolic and cardiovascular disorders. The aim of this study was to assess the association between food consumption, NOVA classification and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in women from João Pessoa. The study had a cross-sectional design and was conducted with 96 women, aged between 18 and 59, without psychiatric illnesses, stratified according to the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) questionnaire into two groups: control (n = 62) or with depressive symptoms (n = 34). Socioeconomic, anthropometric and food consumption assessments were carried out using two 24-hour food recalls classified according to NOVA. Depressive symptoms, anxiety and stress were measured using the DASS-21 questionnaire. The chi-square test, Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney test, and multiple regression and partial correlation adjusted for BMI were applied. Anthropometric parameters did not differ between the groups. Women with depressive symptoms consumed fewer calories (p = 0.006), carbohydrates (p = 0.014), proteins (p = 0.036) and lipids (p = 0.011) from unprocessed and minimally processed foods (UMPF) compared to control women. A negative correlation was found between dietary energy intake from UMPF and symptoms of depression (r = -0.337; p = 0.001), anxiety (r = -0.262; p = 0.014) and stress (r = -0.260; p = 0.014), as well as a positive correlation between energy intake from ultra-processed foods (UPF) and symptoms of depression (r = 0.218; p = 0.042) and stress (r = 0.227; p = 0.034). Regression analysis showed that depressive symptoms were responsible for 7.6% of the lower energy consumption of UMPF. Women with depressive symptoms had lower consumption of UMPF, and this was negatively correlated with symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Professional dietary counseling can improve the health status of these patients.