title: Seaweed consumption and prevalence of depressive symptoms during pregnancy in Japan: Baseline data from the Kyushu Okinawa Maternal and Child Health Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Seaweed is a popular traditional food in Japan and is a rich source of bioactive metabolites. The neuroprotective properties of seaweed have attracted attention; to date, however, there has been no epidemiological evidence regarding the relationship between seaweed consumption and depression. The current cross-sectional study investigated the association between seaweed consumption and depressive symptoms during pregnancy in Japan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Study subjects were 1745 pregnant women. Depressive symptoms were defined as present when subjects had a Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale score of 16 or higher. Dietary consumption during the preceding month was assessed using a self-administered diet history questionnaire. Adjustment was made for age; gestation; region of residence; number of children; family structure; history of depression; family history of depression; smoking; secondhand smoke exposure at home and at work; job type; household income; education; body mass index; and intake of fish and yogurt.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of depressive symptoms during pregnancy was 19.3%. After adjustment for possible dietary and non-dietary confounding factors, higher seaweed consumption was independently associated with a lower prevalence of depressive symptoms during pregnancy: the adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for depressive symptoms during pregnancy in the first, second, third, and fourth quartiles of seaweed consumption were 1 (reference), 0.72 (0.51 - 1.004), 0.71 (0.50 - 1.01), and 0.68 (0.47 - 0.96), respectively (P for trend = 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present results suggest that seaweed consumption may be inversely associated with the prevalence of depressive symptoms during pregnancy in Japanese women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Ehime, Japan. miyake.yoshihiro.ls@ehime-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyake
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Hitomi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okubo
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arakawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012624:Seaweed