Plant food consumption and emotional well-being: the Helsinki Health Study among 19–39-year-old employees
2024

Plant Food Consumption and Emotional Well-Being

Sample size: 4986 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Elina Mauramo, Tea Lallukka, Noora Kanerva, Jatta Salmela

Primary Institution: University of Helsinki

Hypothesis

Is there an association between the consumption of different types of plant foods and emotional well-being among young employees?

Conclusion

More frequent plant food consumption was associated with good emotional well-being.

Supporting Evidence

  • Daily consumption of fresh vegetables was associated with higher odds of good emotional well-being.
  • Among women, 78% of daily consumers of fruit had good emotional well-being compared to 72% of non-daily consumers.
  • Men with daily consumption of fresh vegetables had an odds ratio of 1.86 for good emotional well-being.

Takeaway

Eating more fruits and vegetables can make you feel happier and healthier.

Methodology

Survey data from the Helsinki Health Study was analyzed using logistic regression to examine associations between plant food consumption and emotional well-being.

Potential Biases

Self-reported data may lead to under- or over-reporting of plant food consumption.

Limitations

The study is cross-sectional, which limits the ability to determine causality, and the sample was predominantly female.

Participant Demographics

Participants were 19–39-year-old employees from the City of Helsinki, with 80% being women.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.001

Confidence Interval

95% CI 1.27–1.74 for fresh vegetables

Statistical Significance

p<0.001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/s40795-024-00981-4

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