Breakfast consumption in relation to lowered risk of psychological disorders among Iranian adults

• Published in: Public health (London) Vol. 167; pp. 152 - 158
• Main Authors: Milajerdi, A., Keshteli, A.H., Esmaillzadeh, A., Roohafza, H., Afshar, H., Adibi, P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2019; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Adult; Adults; Anxiety; Anxiety - epidemiology; Body mass; Body mass index; Body size; Breakfast; Breakfast foods; Clinical assessment; Confidence intervals; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression; Depression - epidemiology; Diet; Eating; Feeding behavior; Feeding Behavior - psychology; Female; Food consumption; Habits; Health Surveys; Humans; Iran - epidemiology; Male; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental health; Mood; Prospective studies; Psychological distress; Questionnaires; Risk Assessment; Stress, Psychological - epidemiology; Iran; Eating; Depression; Breakfast; Anxiety; Mood; Psychological distress
• ISSN: 0033-3506; 1476-5616
• DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2018.05.020

This study aims to find whether breakfast consumption is associated with human mental health. This cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the association between breakfast consumption and psychological disorders, including depression and anxiety, among Iranian adults. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 4378 general public adults in Isfahan, Iran. Breakfast consumption was assessed using a validated detailed dietary habits' questionnaire. Depression and anxiety were screened using an Iranian validated Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale questionnaire. Psychological distress was examined by means of Iranian validated version of General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12 items). Depression, anxiety, and psychological distress were defined based on standard criteria. Overall, 13.95% (n = 611) of study participants had anxiety, 28.62% (n = 1253) were depressive, and 23.18% (n = 1015) had psychological distress. After controlling for potential confounding variables, participants with every day breakfast consumption had lower odds for depression (odds ratio [OR]: 0.49, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.36–0.66) compared with those with the least frequent intake of breakfast, even after further adjustment for body mass index [BMI] (OR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.34–0.63). Frequent breakfast consumption was inversely associated with anxiety before (OR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.37–0.76, P < 0.001) and after controlling for BMI (OR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.36–0.75, P < 0.001). The same findings were obtained for psychological distress (OR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.33–0.62, P < 0.001). We found an inverse association between breakfast consumption and depression, anxiety, and psychological distress among Iranian adults. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings. •There was an inverse association between breakfast consumption and depression, anxiety, and psychological distress among Iranian adults.•The prevalence of depression among breakfast skippers was 45.7% and among those with regular breakfast intake was 25.0%.•The prevalence of anxiety among breakfast skippers was 23.8% and among those with regular breakfast intake was 11.7%.•Psychological distress was highly prevalent among breakfast skippers (39.3%) than those with regular breakfast intake (19.6%).