BACKGROUND: Depressive and anxiety disorders are prevalent, impactful conditions that are rising globally. Antidepressants showed limited efficacy and side effects, highlighting the need for alternatives. Intermittent fasting (IF) has emerged as a potential nutritional strategy to improve mood-related symptoms (MRSs). AIM: To evaluate differences in anxiety and depression between adults practising IF and those following a regular eating pattern (REP), exploring variations within IF groups, comparing early IF (EIF; morning/afternoon feeding), late IF (LIF; afternoon/evening feeding) and REP groups, and between sexes. METHODS: A cross-sectional study (May 2024-May 2025) employed an anonymous 41-question online survey distributed globally, including the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaire to assess anxiety and depression. Data from 302 healthy participants aged 18-65 (88 male, 214 female) were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics. A two-way ANOVA examined the effects of sex and eating patterns on anxiety and depression. RESULTS: = 0.022) than the REP group. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest an association between IF and reduced anxiety and depression. Further research is needed to elucidate the IF-MRSs relationship, explore sex-specific approaches and optimal dietary strategies to improve MRSs.
Giuffrida et al. (Wed,) studied this question.