To examine the association between dietary patterns and emotional distress among medical students through a cross-sectional analysis, providing scientific evidence for promoting mental health in this population.
A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1 305 medical students from medical colleges in Tianjin from January 2022 to February 2023 using the Symptom Checklist-90 and a food frequency questionnaire. Principal component analysis was used to identify dietary patterns, and the factor scores of each dietary pattern were categorized into T1, T2, and T3 groups according to tertiles. Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze the association between different dietary patterns and emotional distress.
The proportion of medical students with emotional distress was 16.7%. Three distinct dietary patterns were derived from the analysis: a diverse diet, a beverages-snacks-pickled foods diet, and a nuts-fruits-beans diet. Among them, high intake of the beverages-snacks-pickled foods pattern (T3) was positively associated with emotional distress (OR=1.812, 95% CI: 1.238-2.651, P<0.05), and this association persisted after adjustment (OR=1.992, 95% CI: 1.336-2.971, P<0.05). In contrast, moderate intake of this pattern (T2) was inversely related to emotional distress (OR=0.618, 95% CI: 0.389-0.982, P<0.05). Other associations were non-significant after adjustment (P>0.05).
There is an association between dietary patterns and emotional distress. Medical students should optimize their daily dietary structure and reasonably control sugar and salt intake to prevent emotional distress.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |