BMJ Nutr Prev Health

Restrictive eating associated with higher depression scores

June 6, 2025

Restrictive diets may exacerbate depressive symptoms, particularly in overweight individuals and men. Clinicians should consider mental health implications when recommending dietary changes and tailor guidance based on patient sex and BMI.

Study details: This cross-sectional analysis used NHANES data from 2007–2018, including 28,525 U.S. adults who completed dietary assessments and the PHQ-9. Researchers examined associations between restrictive diets (calorie- or nutrient-restricted, or medically prescribed) and depressive symptoms, using multivariable linear regression. Analyses were stratified by sex and BMI to explore interaction effects.

Results: Overall, 7.79% of participants reported depressive symptoms. Calorie-restricted diets were associated with a modest but statistically significant increase in PHQ-9 scores (+0.29 points). Among overweight individuals, both calorie- and nutrient-restricted diets were associated with greater increases in depressive symptoms (+0.46 and +0.61 points, respectively). Men on any diet reported higher somatic symptoms, and those on nutrient-restricted diets had elevated cognitive-affective scores compared with women not on a diet.

Source:

Menniti G, et al. (2025, June 2). BMJ Nutr Prev Health. Mental health consequences of dietary restriction: increased depressive symptoms in biological men and populations with elevated BMI. https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/early/2025/05/28/bmjnph-2025-001167