DIETARY GLYCEMIC INDEX AND LOAD AND THE RISK OF DEPRESSION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND DOSE-RESPONSE META-ANALYSIS

Background and Aim: Dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) linked to depression; however, findings are contrasting. This study aimed to systematically review and perform dose-response meta-analysis of results from observational studies exploring the association between dietary GI, GL and the risk of depression. Methods: We conducted a systematic search in ISI Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE (Ovid) and Google scholar up to March 2018 for observational studies. Risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using a random-effects model for highest versus lowest (reference) categories of exposure. The linear and non-linear relationships between dietary GI, GL and risk of depression were investigated. Results: A total of 7 studies including 95,335 individuals and 8,872 cases of depression, were examined. An inverse association was observed between dietary GL and depression risk (RR: 0.79; 95% CIs 0.65 to 0.96, I2=52.6%, pheterogeneity=0.061) in high versus low intake meta-analysis. In addition, there were inverse relationships between dietary GL and risk of depression in non-linear model (pnon-linearity<0.05, n=5). No association was observed between dietary GI and risk of depression in high versus low, linear and non-linear models.Conclusion: The present meta-analysis supports the hypothesis that higher dietary GL scores are associated with lower risk of depression.

Keywords:

Depression , Glycemic Index , Glycemic Load , systematic review , Meta-analysis