Soft Drink Consumption and Depression Mediated by Gut Microbiome Alterations

Abstract:

Importance  Soft drink consumption is linked to negative physical and mental health outcomes, but its association with major depressive disorder (MDD) and the underlying mechanisms remains unclear.

Objective  To examine the association between soft drink consumption and MDD diagnosis and severity and whether this association is mediated by changes in the gut microbiota, particularly Eggerthella and Hungatella abundance.

Design, Setting, and Participants  This multicenter cohort study was conducted in Germany using cross-sectional data from the Marburg-Münster Affective Cohort. Patients with MDD and healthy controls (aged 18-65 years) recruited from the general population and primary care between September 2014 and September 2018 were analyzed. Data analyses were conducted between May and December 2024.

Main Outcomes and Measures  Primary analyses included multivariable regression and analysis of variance (ANOVA) models examining the association between soft drink consumption and MDD diagnosis and symptom severity, controlling for site and education, and Eggerthella and Hungatella abundance, controlling for site, education, and library size. Mediation analyses tested whether microbiota abundance mediated the soft drink–MDD link.

Results  A total of 405 patients with MDD (275 female patients [67.9%]; mean [SD] age, 36.37 [13.33] years) and 527 healthy controls (345 female controls [65.5%]; mean [SD] age, 35.33 [13.13] years) were included. Soft drink consumption predicted MDD diagnosis (odds ratio [OR], 1.081; 95% CI, 1.008-1.159; P = .03) and symptom severity (P < .001; partial η² [ηp²], 0.012; 95% CI, 0.004-0.035), with stronger effects in women (diagnosis: OR, 1.167; 95% CI, 1.054-1.292; P = .003; severity: P < .001; ηp², 0.036; 95% CI, 0.011-0.062). In women, consumption was linked to increased Eggerthella (P = .007; ηp², 0.017; 95% CI, 0.0002-0.068), but not Hungatella abundance. Mediation analyses confirmed that Eggerthella significantly mediated the soft drink–MDD association (diagnosis: P = .011; severity: P = .005), explaining 3.82% and 5.00% of the effect, respectively.

Conclusions and Relevance  In this cohort study, it was found that soft drink consumption may contribute to MDD through gut microbiota alterations, notably involving Eggerthella. Public health strategies to reduce soft drink intake may help mitigate depression risk, especially among vulnerable populations; in addition, interventions for depression targeting the microbiome composition appear promising.