The study was conducted with 3,172 adult participants aged 18-55 years. Researchers assessed the volunteers' legume and nut consumption using a validated food frequency questionnaire. The Iranian validated version of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to examine psychological health (scores of eight or more in the questionnaire were considered to indicate the presence of depression or anxiety).
 
According to the study results, consumption of legumes and nuts was associated with lower odds of anxiety in men. The researchers concluded that legume and nut consumption might be promising and, along with medications, could be used to prevent, control or delay psychological disorders.
 
Anjom-Shoae, J., Sadeghi, O., Keshteli, A. H., Afshar, H., Esmaillzadeh, A., & Adibi, P. (2020). Legume and nut consumption in relation to depression, anxiety and psychological distress in Iranian adults. European journal of nutrition, 10.1007/s00394-020-02197-1. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-020-02197-1

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