More Fruit, Fewer Sugary Drinks Linked to Better Teen Mental Health: Study

Eating more fruit and consuming fewer sugary drinks may be linked to better mental health among teenagers, according to a new study. Researchers found that adolescents who consumed more fruit had a lower likelihood of experiencing elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety, while greater consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with increased risk.

Published in the journal Child and Adolescent Mental Health, the study examined the relationship between dietary habits and mental health symptoms among 6,537 Australian adolescents over three years.

The participants, averaging approximately 13 years of age, were recruited from 71 secondary schools across New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.

Researchers assessed fruit, vegetable and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption through dietary surveys conducted at the beginning of the study and annually thereafter. Depression and anxiety symptoms were evaluated using validated screening questionnaires.

The findings revealed that each additional daily serving of fruit was associated with a 13% lower risk of meeting the screening threshold for depression and a 7% lower risk for anxiety.

In contrast, higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, including soft drinks, sports drinks and cordials, was associated with an increased likelihood of elevated depression and anxiety symptoms.

Interestingly, the association between sugary drink consumption and anxiety appeared stronger among male adolescents, although researchers could not establish whether this difference between sexes was statistically significant.

However, vegetable consumption showed no statistically significant association with either depression or anxiety.

Researchers suggested that inflammation and stress-related hormones might help explain the relationship between sugary drinks and mental health, although these mechanisms were not directly investigated.

Importantly, the observational findings do not establish that dietary changes directly prevent depression or anxiety.

Nevertheless, the findings suggest that encouraging fruit consumption and reducing sugary drinks could be worth exploring as part of broader strategies to support adolescent mental well-being.

REFERENCE: Davidson, L., et al.; (2026), Longitudinal associations between dietary intake and common mental disorders among adolescents in Australia. Child and Adolescent Mental Health. DOI: 10.1111/camh.70129