Identifying leading anti-inflammatory dietary determinants of depression and loneliness in older adults

Objectives

The study aims to explore the association between anti-inflammatory dietary variables and prevalence of depression and loneliness in older adults.

Design

A cross-sectional secondary data analysis was performed using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), targeting adults aged 50 and over.

Method

Data from wave 9 of ELSA were utilised. Binary logistic regression was employed to estimate the Odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between participants’ intake of fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts and seeds, legumes, and wholegrains, and the prevalence of depression and loneliness. Two sets of regressions were conducted: the first set examined each dietary component individually, while the second considered all variables simultaneously. Both models were tested with and without adjusting for covariates, including age, gender, ethnicity, self-rated weight, marital status, education, socio-economic status, and activity-limiting long-standing illnesses.

Results

Of 4254 participants included in the analysis, 355 participants (8 %) had depression, and 623 (15 %) reported experiencing loneliness. An association was observed between higher intakes of fruits and lower prevalence of depression (OR = 0.89, 95 % CI: 0.79–1.00, p = 0.05), and between higher intakes of vegetables and lower prevalence of loneliness (OR = 0.91, 95 % CI: 0.83–1.00, p = 0.05). However, these associations lost statistical significance after adjustment for confounders. Similarly, the second model, which included all anti-inflammatory dietary variables, failed to show a significant association with depression and loneliness.

Conclusions

The study does not support the hypothesis that anti-inflammatory variables are associated with prevalence of depression and loneliness in older adults.