Fri, Apr 10, 2026
[Archive]
Volume 11, Issue 1 (Feb 2026)
JNFS 2026, 11(1): 26-35 |
Back to browse issues page
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Abbasnezhad A, Samadi M, Mohammadi S, Darabi Z, Yarizadeh H, Fazeli Moghadam E. The Association between Adherence to the MIND Diet and Depression and Anxiety in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients. JNFS 2026; 11 (1) :26-35
URL: http://jnfs.ssu.ac.ir/article-1-1384-en.html
URL: http://jnfs.ssu.ac.ir/article-1-1384-en.html
Amir Abbasnezhad 
, Mehnoosh Samadi , Salman Mohammadi , Zahra Darabi , Habib Yarizadeh , Ezatollah Fazeli Moghadam *
, Mehnoosh Samadi , Salman Mohammadi , Zahra Darabi , Habib Yarizadeh , Ezatollah Fazeli Moghadam *
Nutritional Health Research Center, School of Health and Nutrition, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran
Abstract: (467 Views)
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common functional gastrointestinal disorders. Accordingly, this study aims to investigate the association between adherence to the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet and the odds of anxiety and depression among patients with IBS. Methods: This multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted from 2021 to 2023 in three university-affiliated centers in Iran. A total of 262 IBS patients aged 18–60 (168 males, 94 females; mean age 29.72 ± 10.19 years) were recruited based on the Rome III criteria. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated 168-item food frequency questionnaire, and MIND diet scores were calculated. Anxiety was measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) for anxiety and depression across MIND diet score tertiles, adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Higher adherence to the MIND diet was significantly associated with lower odds of both anxiety (OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.53–0.89, P=0.005) and depression (OR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.59–0.91, P=0.006) in IBS patients. Additionally, an inverse relationship was observed between MIND diet adherence and the severity of IBS symptoms (OR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.52–0.94, P=0.02). Conclusion: Greater adherence to the MIND diet was associated with reduced odds of anxiety and depression, as well as lower severity of IBS symptoms. Further prospective and interventional studies are warranted to confirm these findings
Keywords: Irritable Bowel Syndrome, MIND diet, Anxiety, Depression, Cross-sectional, Psychological disorders.
Type of article: orginal article |
Subject:
public specific
Received: 2025/07/4 | Published: 2026/02/21 | ePublished: 2026/02/21
Received: 2025/07/4 | Published: 2026/02/21 | ePublished: 2026/02/21
References
1. Ardekani AM, et al. 2023. Evaluating the association between the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet, mental health, and cardio-metabolic risk factors among individuals with obesity. BMC endocrine disorders. 23 (1): 29.
2. Barnes LL, et al. 2023. Trial of the MIND diet for prevention of cognitive decline in older persons. New England Journal of Medicine. 389 (7): 602-611.
3. Bawadi H, et al. 2021. Validity and reproducibility of a food frequency questionnaire to assess macro and micro-nutrient intake among a convenience cohort of healthy adult Qataris. Nutrients. 13 (6): 2002.
4. Canavan C, West J & Card T 2014. The epidemiology of irritable bowel syndrome. Clinical epidemiology. 6: 71-80.
5. Carabotti M, Scirocco A, Maselli MA & Severi C 2015. The gut-brain axis: interactions between enteric microbiota, central and enteric nervous systems. Annals of gastroenterology: quarterly publication of the Hellenic Society of Gastroenterology. 28 (2): 203.
6. Chen EY, et al. 2024. The association between a Mediterranean diet and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology. 22 (1): 164-172. e166.
7. Cho HS, et al. 2011. Anxiety, depression and quality of life in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Gut and liver. 5 (1): 29.
8. de Lemos Zingano B, et al. 2019. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety subscale (HADS-A) and The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) accuracy for anxiety disorders detection in drug-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy patients. Journal of affective disorders. 246: 452-457.
9. Dinan TG, et al. 2006. Hypothalamic-pituitary-gut axis dysregulation in irritable bowel syndrome: plasma cytokines as a potential biomarker? Gastroenterology. 130 (2): 304-311.
10. Ge J-F, Xu Y-Y, Qin G, Cheng J-Q & Chen F-H 2016. Resveratrol ameliorates the anxiety-and depression-like behavior of subclinical hypothyroidism rat: possible involvement of the HPT axis, HPA axis, and Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Frontiers in endocrinology. 7: 44.
11. Gholamrezaei A, et al. 2011. Extra-intestinal Symptoms and their Relationship to Psychological Symptoms in Patients withIrritable Bowel Syndrome. Govaresh. 15 (2): 88-94.
12. Grajek M, et al. 2022. Nutrition and mental health: A review of current knowledge about the impact of diet on mental health. Frontiers in nutrition. 9: 943998.
13. Jahangiri P, et al. 2012. Irritable bowel syndrome in Iran: SEPAHAN systematic review No. 1. International journal of preventive medicine. 3 (Suppl1): S1.
14. Kamrani F, Kachouei AA, Sobhani SR & Khosravi M 2024. Nourishing the mind: how the EAT-Lancet reference diet (ELD) and MIND diet impact stress, anxiety, and depression. BMC psychiatry. 24 (1): 1-11.
15. Kennedy PJ, et al. 2012. Gut memories: towards a cognitive neurobiology of irritable bowel syndrome. Neuroscience & biobehavioral reviews. 36 (1): 310-340.
16. Kheirouri S & Alizadeh M 2022. MIND diet and cognitive performance in older adults: a systematic review. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition. 62 (29): 8059-8077.
17. Kroenke K, Spitzer RL & Williams JB 2001. The PHQ‐9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. Journal of general internal medicine. 16 (9): 606-613.
18. Lee C, et al. 2017. The increased level of depression and anxiety in irritable bowel syndrome patients compared with healthy controls: systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of neurogastroenterology and motility. 23 (3): 349.
19. Mayer EA, Ryu HJ & Bhatt RR 2023. The neurobiology of irritable bowel syndrome. Molecular psychiatry. 28 (4): 1451-1465.
20. Midenfjord I, Polster A, Sjövall H, Törnblom H & Simrén M 2019. Anxiety and depression in irritable bowel syndrome: Exploring the interaction with other symptoms and pathophysiology using multivariate analyses. Neurogastroenterology & Motility. 31 (8): e13619.
21. Mohammadi S, et al. 2022. Evaluating the effects of dark chocolate formulated with micro‐encapsulated fermented garlic extract on cardio‐metabolic indices in hypertensive patients: A crossover, triple‐blind placebo‐controlled randomized clinical trial. Phytotherapy research. 36 (4): 1785-1796.
22. Oka P, et al. 2020. Global prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome according to Rome III or IV criteria: a systematic review and meta-analysis. lancet gastroenterology & hepatology. 5 (10): 908-917.
23. Oravcova H, et al. 2022. Stress hormones cortisol and aldosterone, and selected markers of oxidative stress in response to long-term supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids in adolescent children with depression. Antioxidants. 11 (8): 1546.
24. Prevatto JP, et al. 2017. Antioxidant treatment induces hyperactivation of the HPA axis by upregulating ACTH receptor in the adrenal and downregulating glucocorticoid receptors in the pituitary. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity. 2017 (1): 4156361.
25. Ramstrand N, Ramstrand S, Brolund P, Norell K & Bergström P 2011. Relative effects of posture and activity on human height estimation from surveillance footage. Forensic science international. 212 (1-3): 27-31.
26. Salari-Moghaddam A, et al. 2019. Adherence to the MIND diet and prevalence of psychological disorders in adults. Journal of affective disorders. 256: 96-102.
27. Sanders AE, et al. 2022. Ratio of omega-6/omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids associated with somatic and depressive symptoms in people with painful temporomandibular disorder and irritable bowel syndrome. Journal of pain. 23 (10): 1737-1748.
28. Seifollahi A, et al. 2024. Associations between adherence to the MIND diet and prevalence of psychological disorders, and sleep disorders severity among obese and overweight women: a cross-sectional study. Nutrition and health. 30 (3): 513-519.
29. Shaikh SD, Sun N, Canakis A, Park WY & Weber HC 2023. Irritable bowel syndrome and the gut microbiome: a comprehensive review. Journal of clinical medicine. 12 (7): 2558.
30. Shiraseb F, et al. 2023. The association of dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) and Mediterranean diet with mental health, sleep quality and chronotype in women with overweight and obesity: a cross-sectional study. Eating and weight disorders-studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity. 28 (1): 57.
31. Stasi C, Rosselli M, Bellini M, Laffi G & Milani S 2012. Altered neuro-endocrine–immune pathways in the irritable bowel syndrome: the top-down and the bottom-up model. Journal of gastroenterology. 47: 1177-1185.
32. Staudacher HM, Mikocka-Walus A & Ford AC 2021. Common mental disorders in irritable bowel syndrome: pathophysiology, management, and considerations for future randomised controlled trials. Lancet gastroenterology & hepatology. 6 (5): 401-410.
33. Staudacher HM, et al. 2024. Diet interventions for depression: Review and recommendations for practice. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 59 (2): 115-127.
34. Tan J, Wang C & Tomiyama AJ 2024. Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and mental well-being: a systematic review. Nutrition reviews. 82 (1): 60-75.
35. Thesing CS, Bot M, Milaneschi Y, Giltay EJ & Penninx BW 2018. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid levels and dysregulations in biological stress systems. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 97: 206-215.
36. Torabynasab K, et al. 2023. Adherence to the MIND diet is inversely associated with odds and severity of anxiety disorders: a case–control study. BMC psychiatry. 23 (1): 330.
37. Ustaoğlu T, Tek NA & Yıldırım AE 2024. Evaluation of the effects of the FODMAP diet and probiotics on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms, quality of life and depression in women with IBS. Journal of human nutrition and dietetics. 37 (1): 5-17.
38. Walker MM, et al. 2014. Duodenal eosinophilia and early satiety in functional dyspepsia: confirmation of a positive association in an A ustralian cohort. Journal of gastroenterology and hepatology. 29 (3): 474-479.
39. Zamani M, Alizadeh‐Tabari S & Zamani V 2019. Systematic review with meta‐analysis: the prevalence of anxiety and depression in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics. 50 (2): 132-143.
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
