Dietary Inflammatory Index and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese University Students Leveraging an Intelligent Ordering System: 3-Year Longitudinal Prospective Cohort Study

To investigate the association between dietary inflammatory levels and depressive symptoms among university students over a three-year period.

Study Design: A longitudinal cohort study utilizing dietary records from an Intelligent Ordering System (IOS) over three years.
Participants: 5314 university students from a university in Shanghai, selected based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Data Collection: Continuous dietary records and annual depressive symptom assessments were linked for analysis.

Dietary habits significantly influence inflammatory levels, which may correlate with depressive symptoms among university students.
The study utilized a novel method of continuous dietary tracking through an Intelligent Ordering System (IOS), enhancing data accuracy.

The findings suggest a potential link between dietary inflammation and the development of depressive symptoms, warranting further investigation.

The study's reliance on self-reported dietary data may introduce bias.
The generalizability of findings may be limited to the specific university population studied.

The study highlights the importance of dietary patterns in relation to mental health among university students.