J Affect Disord. 2025 Sep 19:120345. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2025.120345. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Chrononutrition behaviors, modifiable factors linked to metabolic syndrome (MetS), may influence depressive symptoms, but this relationship is not fully understood. This study investigated the independence and combined association of chrononutrition behaviors and dietary quality (Healthy Eating Index, HEI-2020) with depressive symptoms in MetS and non-MetS populations.
METHODS: Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data (2005-March 2020; n = 24,585), and used two 24-h dietary recalls to assess chrononutrition behaviors. Depressive symptoms were diagnosed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Missing data were handled using multiple imputation, and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was applied to control for confounding. Multivariate logistic, restricted cubic splines, and sensitivity analyses were used to evaluate independent and joint effects.
RESULTS: Among individuals with MetS, last meal time after 20:00 [OR (95 %CI): 1.31 (1.09, 1.55)] increased depressive symptoms. The combination of HEI-2020 > 75 % and the last meal time between 19:00 and 20:00 [0.61 (0.44, 0.84)] was associated with a reduced risk of depressive symptoms. In the non-MetS group, the first meal time after 10:00 [1.23 (1.08, 1.40)] also showed associations with depressive symptoms. The combination of HEI-2020 > 75 % and the first meal time before 08:00 [0.59 (0.50, 0.70)] was linked to a lower risk of depressive symptoms. Across both groups, HEI-2020 > 75 % and eating frequency > 3 [MetS: 0.54 (0.37, 0.79); non-MetS: 0.47 (0.33, 0.67)] was associated with a decreased risk of depressive symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS: Specific combinations of diet quality and chrononutrition behaviors are associated with lower depressive symptoms, particularly in population-stratified contexts.
PMID:40976342 | DOI:10.1016/j.jad.2025.120345
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