Trial reportThe American journal of clinical nutrition2015
High glycemic index diet as a risk factor for depression: analyses from the Women's Health Initiative.
Trial report in The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06105762 (KETO-MOOD), which is not on this map. Cited by 116 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
KETO-MOOD: Ketogenic Diet for Microbiome Optimization and Overcoming Depression
Who cites it
116 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 261 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of nutritional interventions on the psychological symptoms of premenstrual syndrome in women of reproductive age: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.Nutrition reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Fiber intake and fiber intervention in depression and anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies and randomized controlled trials.Nutrition reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Prevalence and associated factors of depression in postmenopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- Intermittent Fasting as a Potential Therapeutic Instrument for Major Depression Disorder: A Systematic Review of Clinical and Preclinical Studies.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Pooled it
- The Relationship between Whole-Grain Intake and Measures of Cognitive Decline, Mood, and Anxiety-A Systematic Review.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2023Pooled it
- Evidence of the Importance of Dietary Habits Regarding Depressive Symptoms and Depression.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Glycemic index, glycemic load, and depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of clinical nutrition · 2019Pooled it
- Association between dietary glycemic index and glycemic load with depression: a systematic review.European journal of nutrition · 2018Pooled it
- A multimeal paradigm producing a low glycemic response is associated with modest cognitive benefits relative to a high glycemic response: a randomized, crossover trial in patients with type 2 diabetes.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2023Trial
- Probiotics drive gut microbiome triggering emotional brain signatures.Gut microbes · 2018Trial
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- Article
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- Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and incident depression: an exploratory multi-omics analysis of candidate biological mediators.Nutrition journal · 2026Article
- There's (no) accounting for taste: identifying and predicting subgroups of incarcerated persons based on perceived food sufficiency and personal and lifestyle characteristics.Health & justice · 2026Article
- Relationship between circulating plasma endocannabinoids in adolescents and maternal depressive symptoms.Psychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Association of fermented food intake with the prevalence of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in men and women stratified by age: the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2014-2022.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Association of dietary glycemic and insulin index/load with odds of major depressive disorder: a case-control study.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
56 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe consumption of sweetened beverages, refined foods, and pastries has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of depression in longitudinal studies. However, any influence that refined carbohydrates has on mood could be commensurate with their proportion in the overall diet; studies are therefore needed that measure overall intakes of carbohydrate and sugar, glycemic index (GI), and glycemic load.
objectiveWe hypothesized that higher dietary GI and glycemic load would be associated with greater odds of the prevalence and incidence of depression.
designThis was a prospective cohort study to investigate the relations between dietary GI, glycemic load, and other carbohydrate measures (added sugars, total sugars, glucose, sucrose, lactose, fructose, starch, carbohydrate) and depression in postmenopausal women who participated in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study at baseline between 1994 and 1998 (n = 87,618) and at the 3-y follow-up (n = 69,954).
resultsWe found a progressively higher dietary GI to be associated with increasing odds of incident depression in fully adjusted models (OR for the fifth compared with first quintile: 1.22; 95% CI: 1.09, 1.37), with the trend being statistically significant (P = 0.0032). Progressively higher consumption of dietary added sugars was also associated with increasing odds of incident depression (OR for the fifth compared with first quintile: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.41; P-trend = 0.0029). Higher consumption of lactose, fiber, nonjuice fruit, and vegetables was significantly associated with lower odds of incident depression, and nonwhole/refined grain consumption was associated with increased odds of depression.
conclusionsThe results from this study suggest that high-GI diets could be a risk factor for depression in postmenopausal women. Randomized trials should be undertaken to examine the question of whether diets rich in low-GI foods could serve as treatments and primary preventive measures for depression in postmenopausal women.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.