Association of Dietary Acid Load and Depression among Iranian Women: a case-control study

Abstract Background The present study aimed to assess the association between Dietary Acid Load and Depression in Iranian women.Material and methods This case-control study was conducted among 110 depressed women and 220 control subjects from two psychiatric clinics in Tehran, Iran. A validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire consisting of 168 items was used to assess food consumption in the previous 12 months. The dietary acid load was calculated using the relevant data with 2 validated methods: PRAL and NEAP. The association between depression and PRAL and NEAP was investigated using multivariate logistic regression in crude and adjusted models.Results The findings of the present study showed participants in the highest quartile of PRAL and NEAP had a 4.11- and 4.43-times higher risk of depression than the participants in the lowest quartile, respectively (Odds Ratio (OR)PRAL: 3.52; 95% (CI):1.64 to 7.54, p for trend: <0.001) and (Odds Ratio (OR)NEAP: 4.07; 95% (CI):1.81 to 8.89, p for trend: <0.001).Conclusion there is a significant inverse association between dietary acid load scores (PRAL and NEAP) and the odds of depression in women. However more studies are needed to support these findings in the future.