Evaluation of the relationship between adherence to the mediterranean diet and depression, anxiety, stress levels and eating behaviors in adults

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and depression, anxiety, stress levels and eating behaviors in adults. Method: The study was conducted with 356 adults who were between 18-65 years of age and applied to Antalya Muratpaşa Municipality Health Affairs Directorate between December 2021 and May 2022. The general characteristics, nutritional habits, physical activity status, Mediterranean diet adherence, depression, anxiety,stress levels and eating behaviors of individuals were evaluated by means of a questionnaire and the food consumption records and anthropometric measurements were taken. Results: 71.1% (n= 253) of the individuals participating in the study were female and 28.9% (n=103) were male, with a mean age of 40.6±10.94 and 39.1±12.23 years, respectively. The moderate negative correlations were found between the participants' Mediterranean diet adherence scores and their depression, anxiety, and stress scores (r=- 0.436; r=-0.405; r=-0.401; p<0.001, respectively). There was a weak positive correlation (r=0.117; p<0.05) between the Mediterranean diet adherence scores and the restrictive eating scores, while weak negative correlations were found between the Mediterranean diet adherence scores and emotional eating and external eating scores (r=-0.130 and r=- 0.245; p<0.05 and p<0.001, respectively ). Conclusion: In this study, the relationships was found between adherence to Mediterranean diet and depression, anxiety, stress levels and eating behaviors. The Mediterranean diet can help prevent the development of depression, anxiety, and stress. In addition, determining the relationship between the Mediterranean diet and eating behaviors is effective in acquiring Mediterranean style eating habits. It should be aimed to emphasize the importance of Mediterranean type nutrition to reduce depression, anxiety and stress levels and improve eating behaviors in adults.