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

1

Depression is a significant global health issue, with a prevalence of 24.71% among Chinese college students, highlighting their vulnerability during university life.
2

The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) quantifies dietary inflammatory levels, linking dietary habits to systemic inflammation and depressive symptoms.
3

Healthy diets, such as the Mediterranean diet, are associated with anti-inflammatory effects, while Western diets may promote inflammation and depressive symptoms.
4

This study utilized a novel Intelligent Ordering System to collect accurate dietary data over three years, addressing limitations of previous research.
5

A total of 5314 university students participated, providing comprehensive dietary records and annual assessments of depressive symptoms for analysis.

Journal Of Medical Internet Research (Jmir)

by Peng Hong, Chen Hao, Zhou Weiqiang, Qian Jie, Zhang Yimeng, Ding Jingyun, Qian Haihong, Jia Yingnan
June 24, 2026

1