Impact of Different Dietary Patterns on Adolescent Depression

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization, depression has become the fourth most common disease in the world, which has become a prevalent psychological issue affecting the adolescent population. Its symptoms not only impact adolescents’ emotional states but also severely interfere with their daily academic efficiency and quality of life. In recent years, dietary therapy, as an emerging non-pharmacological intervention, has demonstrated unique advantages and played a significant role in alleviating depressive symptoms in adolescents. This paper systematically elaborates on three representative dietary patterns—the Mediterranean diet, vegetarian diet, and DASH diet—and provides an in-depth analysis of their specific application effects in improving depressive symptoms in adolescents. It further explores the mechanisms through which these different dietary patterns influence the regulation of depressive moods in adolescents and their application value. The study finds that reasonable dietary adjustments can not only improve the nutritional status of adolescents but also exert positive interventional effects on depressive symptoms through pathways such as the gut microbiota-brain axis.