Consumption of sweetened beverages and symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress: an analysis of university students in the PADu-multicenter study

The aim of this study was to assess the association between the frequency of consumption of sweetened beverages and symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress in university students. This is a cross-sectional study carried out in eight Federal Higher Education Institutions in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The outcomes were symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress assessed by the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21. The consumption of sweetened beverages was assessed by a question from the Brazilian telephone survey (VIGITEL) and analyzed using three approaches: a) dichotomous, regular (≥ 5 days a week) and irregular (≤ 4 days a week), b) weekly frequency, considering the reference category "almost never/never" and c) weekly frequency, considering as an ordinal variable (0 to 7 days a week). Multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the association between sweetened beverages and outcomes. Of the 8.650 students, 14.1% had regular consumption. Among the participants, 59.7% were classified as having anxiety symptoms, 63.0% depression and 57.5% stress. Regular consumption was associated with symptoms of anxiety (OR: 1.30; 95%CI: 1.13–1.49), depression (OR: 1.32; 95%CI: 1.14–1.51) and stress (OR: 1.41; 95%CI: 1.13–1.61). With regard to weekly frequency, a dose-response pattern was observed for symptoms of depression and stress. It was found that for every one and a half times a week that students consumed sweetened drinks, the chance of symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress increased by 1.12 (95%CI: 1.07–1.16); 1.10 (95%CI: 1.06–1.14) and 1.12 (95%CI: 1.08–1.17), respectively. Therefore, this study is important for the development of strategies aimed at autonomy in the choice of beverages. It also contributes to proposing preventive measures in mental health.