Food consumption associated with depression, anxiety and stress in students entering a public university

Cross-sectional study investigated the association of fresh or minimally processed foods and ultra-processed food consumption with symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in students from a Brazilian public university. Undergraduate students admitted in 2022 answered an online questionnaire during their first semester. Consumption of 12 subgroups of fresh or minimally processed foods and 13 of ultra-processed foods on the previous day were investigated (affirmative answer for ≥ 5 subgroups was classified as high consumption). Depression, anxiety and stress were investigated using the DASS-21 and mild to extremely severe symptoms were grouped to be compared with individuals without symptoms. Adjusted logistic regression models estimated the <i>Odds Ratio</i> (OR) of the association between symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress (outcomes) and food consumption (exposures), with a significance level of 5%. A total of 924 students were evaluated, of whom 57.7% presented symptoms of depression, 51.9% of anxiety and 59.4% of stress. A high consumption of fresh or minimally processed foods was observed in 80.3% of the students, with a higher frequency among those without symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, while 38.9% showed a high consumption of ultra-processed foods, without differences according to symptoms. High consumption of fresh or minimally processed foods was associated with a lower likelihood of symptoms of depression (OR: 0.62; p=0.011), anxiety (OR: 0.58; p=0.003) and stress (OR: 0.69; p=0.043). No association was found between ultra-processed and mental health outcomes. Actions that support and encourage the consumption of healthy food in the university environment can contribute to mental health outcomes.