Gamage, Elizabeth, Lane, Melissa M., Mohebbi, Mohammadreza, Lotfaliany, Mojtaba, Ashtree, Deborah N., Jacka, Felice N., Orr, Rebecca, O’Neil, Adrienne, Dawson, Samantha L., and Marx, Wolfgang (2026) Polyphenol intake and depressive symptoms in young adults: Evidence from a population-based longitudinal study. British Journal of Nutrition, 135 (7). pp. 711-725.

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Abstract

Due to the high prevalence of depression among young adults, identifying prevention strategies during young adulthood are crucial. Dietary polyphenols have been associated with depression in older cohorts; however, the association remains unclear, particularly in young adults. This study aimed to assess the prospective association between the intake of total polyphenols, polyphenol classes, and polyphenol subclasses with depressive symptoms in young adults. Data from 1,484 Raine Study Generation 2 participants [52.7% female; baseline mean age (SD): 20 (0.5)] at the -20, -22, and -27 year follow-ups (N = 964, 979, and 1,094, respectively), with overlap across follow-ups, were used. Energy-adjusted polyphenol intake was estimated from food frequency questionnaire data using our expansion of the AUSNUT 2011-13 and Phenol-Explorer to include polyphenol content data and categorised into quartiles. The primary outcome was self-reported depressive symptoms assessed via the 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale averaged across the three timepoints. Linear mixed-effects models were used to assess the association between the polyphenol intake exposures and depressive symptoms. Sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle- and health-related behaviours were adjusted for. Participants in the highest quartiles for flavonol and hydroxybenzoic acid intake had lower depressive symptoms across time than participants in the lowest quartiles [flavonols (Q4 v Q1 mean difference: -1.41, 95%CIs: -2.51, -0.31); hydroxybenzoic acids (Q4 v Q1: -1.42, 95%CIs: -2.54, -0.29)]. We found no evidence of a highest versus lowest association for all other polyphenol categories. Future studies are required to investigate whether increasing polyphenol intake could protect against depression in young adults.

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