The impact of the Mediterranean diet on alleviating depressive symptoms in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

This article systematically reviews and meta-analyzes randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effects of Mediterranean diet (MD) interventions on depressive symptom severity in adults diagnosed with depression or exhibiting depressive symptoms. Based on five RCTs involving 1,507 participants aged 22 to 53 years, MD interventions—which included nutrition education, food provision, and behavioral support—demonstrated a moderate, statistically significant reduction in depressive symptoms compared to control conditions (standardized mean difference: –0.53). However, the evidence quality was rated low due to risk of bias, heterogeneity among studies, and limited sample sizes. The authors conclude that while MD interventions show promise as a nutritional psychiatry approach for depression, further high-quality, large-scale, and long-term RCTs are needed to confirm these findings and inform clinical recommendations.