Zhaoxue Yin, Melanie Sereny Brasher, Virginia B Kraus, Yuebin Lv, Xiaoming Shi, Yi Zeng
Journal: Nutrients 2019;11(3):650
PMID: 30889808
There's a growing interest by researchers in the relationship between the diversity of people's diets and their health, including their psychological resilience. This study looked at the associations between dietary diversity (DD) and psychological resilience in 8571 elderly individuals in China. Frequency and variety of food groups was collected in order to produce an average (mean) DD score. The psychological resilience of participants was assessed using a validated research tool known as "simplified resilience score" (SRS). The statistical analysis of the data collected showed that those elders with the poorest psychological resilience scores were also eating the least diverse diets. Based on separate analyses by age group, the association of a low SRS with poor DD was more prominent in the younger elderly than the oldest old. Compared with younger participants with good DD, the risk of a low SRS was greater for younger participants with poor DD, the oldest old with good DD, and the oldest old with poor DD, with OR respectively. The greatest contribution to DD was from a high consumption of vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Our study suggested that poor DD was associated with a low psychological resilience among the Chinese elderly, especially the younger elderly. These findings suggest that eating a diet rich in a variety of vegetables, fruits, and nuts might promote psychological resilience.
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This is a population-based study involving 8571 community-based elderly individuals, where dietary diversity (DD) was assessed by means of food frequency questionnaires, and correlated with psychological resilience, assessed by a validated simplified resilience score (SRS). Low DD has been previously correlated with a high level of oxidative stress mediating oxidative damage to mitochondria and lipids in neuronal circuits, as seen in affective (anxiety, depression) and neurodegenerative conditions (Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases). Conversely, dietary polyphenols, a group of phenolic compounds abundant in fruits, vegetables, and other plant sources, have been associated with improved psychological resilience.
The greatest contribution to dietary diversity from the totality of food groups was from a high consumption of vegetables, fruits, and nuts. This can help nutrition practitioners inform their clinical decisions when supporting individuals wanting to improve the diversity of their diet.
Future work is necessary to further assess these findings in longitudinal studies and clinical trials, and to ascertain what the mechanisms of action are in this process. It would be particularly interesting to find out whether the gut microbiota and its communication with the brain via the gut-brain axis is part of the process.
The association between dietary diversity (DD) and psychological resilience among older people is an underdeveloped area of research. This cross-sectional study explored the associations of DD with psychological resilience among 8571 community-based elderly individuals. The intake frequencies of food groups were collected, and dietary diversity was assessed based on the mean DD score. Psychological resilience was assessed using a simplified resilience score (SRS). Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression and logistic regression models. Poor DD was significantly associated with psychological resilience, with a β (95% CI) of -0.94 (-1.07, -0.81) for the SRS ( < 0.01) and an odds ratio (95% CI) of 1.83 (1.66, 2.01) for low SRS status. The interaction effects of age with DD were observed for the SRS ( < 0.001) and low SRS status ( < 0.001). Based on separate analyses by age group, the association of a low SRS with poor DD was more prominent in the younger elderly than the oldest old, with OR (95% CI) 2.32 (1.96, 2.74) and 1.61 (1.43, 1.82), respectively. Compared with younger participants with good DD, the risk of a low SRS was greater for younger participants with poor DD, the oldest old with good DD, and the oldest old with poor DD, with OR (95% CI) 2.39 (2.02, 2.81), 1.28 (1.09, 1.51), and 2.03 (1.72, 2.39), respectively. The greatest contribution to DD was from a high consumption of vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Our study suggested that poor DD was associated with a low psychological resilience among the Chinese elderly, especially the younger elderly. These findings suggest that augmentation of DD might promote psychological resilience.
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