Fish consumption and depression in Korean population: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2013–2021

Background: Epidemiological studies in some populations showed that dietary intake of fish may be inversely associated with depression, but large studies in Korean population are limited. Thus, we investigated the association between fish consumption and depression, considering the serving size of fish, in Korean adults. Methods: This study was based on the data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013−2021), which is a large nationally representative study of Korean population. Fish consumption was assessed with a 24-hour dietary recall, and physician-diagnosed depression status was assessed using questionnaires from the health interview survey. Multivariable logistic regression models adjusting for demographic, lifestyle, and dietary factors were used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) for depression. Results: A total of 31,632 adults aged 19–64 years were included in the analysis. After adjusting for covariates, highest fish consumption (≥4 servings/week) was significantly associated with 26 % lower odds of depression compared to the lowest fish consumption (<1 servings/week) (OR 0.74; 95 % CI, 0.60–0.92, P for trend = 0.007). A similar inverse association was found in female adults (OR 0.76; 95 % CI, 0.59–0.97, P for trend = 0.018), but no significant association was found in male adults (OR 0.75; 95 % CI, 0.49–1.15, P for trend = 0.223). Limitations: Since KNHANES is a cross-sectional study, it is difficult to evaluate the causal relationship between fish consumption and depression risk. Conclusions: This study results suggest that high fish consumption is associated with lower risk of depression in Korean adults, especially in female adults.