White and Whole-Grain Bread Consumption in Relation to Depression Among the Elderly: Birjand Longitudinal Aging Study (Blas) Publisher



Sajadi Hezaveh Z ; Moodi M ; Fakhrzadeh H ; Arzaghi SM ; Esmaeili A ; Khodabakhshi H ; Shadman Z ; Khorashadizadeh M ; Ejtahed HS ; Sharifi F
Source: Nutrire Published:2025

Abstract

Purpose: The current research aimed to assess whether different types of bread, such as whole-grain and white, which vary in fiber and nutrients, are associated with depression in older adults. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) in 1,336 older adults from the first wave of the Birjand Longitudinal Aging Study (BLAS) between September 2018 and April 2019. Bread consumption was measured via a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and bread consumption patterns including the whole-grain and white bread were identified through factor analysis, transformed it into energy-adjusted variable and ranked into quartiles. Results: In total, 46.3% of the sample size suffered from depression. A significant U-shaped trend was observed for total (P = 0.02) and whole-grain bread consumption (P = 0.04) across depression severities. Energy-adjusted white bread pattern was linked to an increased odds of depression (OR: 1.79; 95%CI: 1.31–2.43, P˂0.001). The strength of this association increased from mild (OR: 1.70; P = 0.005) to moderate (OR: 2.26; P˂0.001) and moderately severe depression (OR: 2.43; P = 0.03) groups, even after adjusting for confounders. However, whole-grain bread pattern showed no significant association. Conclusions: It could be concluded that although higher consumption of white bread could be linked to an increased risk of depression, whole-grain bread displayed no significant association. These results suggest that bread type may be associated with depressive symptoms, warranting further investigation. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.