The association of overall dietary quality on stress, anxiety, depression, and academic performance in college students: a systematic review

Objective: The objective of this systematic review was to examine current evidence regarding the associations between dietary quality and mental well-being indicators (stress, anxiety, and/or depression) in college students, with a secondary aim of characterizing the relationship between overall dietary quality and academic performance. Methods: Searches were performed, and the PRISMA guidelines were followed for reporting the methods and results. Results: Twelve observational studies were included and reviewed showing high dietary quality was associated with: low stress (four studies), high stress (one study), and no significant association (two studies); low depression (three studies) and no significant association (two studies) and low anxiety (two studies), high anxiety (one study), and no significant associations (two studies). Results showed weak positive associations between overall dietary quality and academic performance. Conclusions: These results are consistent with other studies of dietary quality and non-clinical mental health outcomes; more researched is needed to determine potential associations.