Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with fewer depressive symptoms and a reduced risk of incident depression across diverse populations.
Does adherence to the Mediterranean diet reduce depressive symptoms and the risk of incident depression in human populations?
Adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with reduced depressive symptoms and lower risk of incident depression, supporting its use as a safe adjunctive lifestyle intervention.
With depression as a major cause of disability worldwide, the need for risk reduction and improving treatment outcomes is pressing. This narrative review summarizes human evidence on the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) and depressive disorders or depressive symptoms, and on the effects of Mediterranean-style dietary interventions in reducing depressive symptoms. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar databases, using keywords such as “Mediterranean diet”, “Depression” among others, and studies were selected and reviewed. Overall, observational evidence from multiple cross-sectional studies and several prospective cohorts indicates that higher MD adherence is associated with fewer depressive symptoms and a modestly reduced risk of incident depression across diverse populations. Randomized and cluster-randomized trials in clinical and at-risk groups further suggest that Mediterranean-style dietary interventions can reduce depressive symptom severity and improve mental health–related quality of life when used alongside usual care. Meta analyses and systematic reviews consistently show statistical significance of the findings. Potential mechanisms include anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, neurotrophic and neurotransmitter pathways, gut–brain interactions, and improvements in cardiometabolic health. The MD appears to be a safe and feasible adjunctive lifestyle recommendation for adults with depression, although heterogeneity in exposure measurement and limited long-term trial data warrant larger, multi-centre studies with longer follow-up and mechanistic assessments, across different populations.
Biłyk et al. (Thu,) conducted a review in Depression and depressive symptoms. Mediterranean diet vs. Usual care, social support, or control diets was evaluated on Depressive symptom severity and incidence of depression. Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with fewer depressive symptoms and a reduced risk of incident depression across diverse populations.