Fish and fat intake and prevalence of depressive symptoms during pregnancy in Japan: Baseline data from the Kyushu Okinawa Maternal and Child Health Study

Abstract The present study aimed to examine the relationship between consumption of meat, fish, and specific types of fatty acids and the prevalence of depressive symptoms during pregnancy in Japan. Study subjects were 1745 pregnant women. Depressive symptoms were defined as present when subjects had a Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale score of 16 or higher. Information on dietary factors was collected using a self-administered diet history questionnaire. The prevalence of depressive symptoms during pregnancy was 19.3%. Higher intake levels of fish, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were independently associated with a lower prevalence of depressive symptoms during pregnancy: the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) between extreme quartiles (95% confidence intervals [CIs], P for trend) were 0.61 (0.42–0.87, 0.01), 0.66 (0.46–0.95, 0.02) and 0.64 (0.44–0.93, 0.007), respectively. Higher intake levels of total fat and saturated fatty acids were independently related to a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms during pregnancy: the adjusted ORs between extreme quartiles (95% CIs, P for trend) were 1.42 (1.00–2.03, 0.06) and 1.74 (1.22–2.49, 0.001), respectively. There were no significant associations between intake of monounsaturated fatty acids, n –3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), α-linolenic acid, n –6 PUFAs, linoleic acid, arachidonic acid, or cholesterol or the ratio of n –3 to n –6 PUFA intake and depressive symptoms during pregnancy. Intake levels of fish, EPA, and DHA may be inversely associated with depressive symptoms during pregnancy while intake levels of total fat and saturated fatty acids may be positively related to depressive symptoms during pregnancy.