Assessment of the relationship between dietary magnesium intake and depression, anxiety and eating behaviours

Kırcalı N., Assessment of the Relationship Between Dietary Magnesium Intake and Depression, Anxiety and Eating Behaviours, Hacettepe University, Institute of Health Sciences, Master of Science Thesis in Community Nutrition, 2018. Mg is an essential mineral for the organism. Althouhg toxicity of Mg is rarely seen, inadequate intake is more common and is found to be associated with many diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the intake of dietary Mg in university students and the consumption of Mg rich foods and to define its relationship between depressive symptoms, anxiety and eating behaviors. This study included 386 university students who were not diagnosed with any psychiatric disorder and were not using Mg-containing nutritional supplements. A questionnaire of 7 sections including the general characteristics of participants, a food consumption frequency form containing Mg-rich foods, Beck Depression Scale, Beck Anxiety Scale, 24-hour retrospective food consumption form, physical activity record form and Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire were applied face to face and weight, height and waist circumference was measured. Statistical analyzes were performed using SPSS IBM © version 23. The average Mg intake of participants whose intake was inadequate was 175,5 ±47,6 mg and 353,4 ±107,23 mg in participants whose Mg intake was adequate. The factors such as smoking, meal skipping, supplement use, weight, BMI, waist circumference, n-3, n-6 fatty acids and fiber intake were found to be related with Mg intake. (p <0.05). Dietary Mg intake was evaluated according to "Türkiye'ye Özgü Besin ve Beslenme Rehberi", it was determined that the Mg requirements of the inadequate level of Mg intake were only 48,2 ± 12,09 % of the requirements were met. It was concluded that depressive symtoms frequency was not found to be lower in the participants having adequate Mg intake (OR: 1,66, %95 Cl: 0,83-3,29, p=0,145), and anxiety, restricting eating, emotional eating and external eating behaviors had no relationsip with dietary Mg intake (p> 0.05).According to this researh there is no relationhip between adequate Mg intake and depression, anxiety and eating behaviours.