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. 2020 Jan 1;12(1):115. doi: 10.3390/nu12010115

Table 2.

Characteristics of the study exposure and outcomes for the studies included to the systematic review.

Ref. Exposure Outcomes
Assessment Measure of Fruit and Vegetable Other Fruit/Vegetable Products Assessment Psychological Measure
[40] Rapid Food Screener Frequency of consumption Fruits including juices
Vegetables including salads, soups		 Stress Perceived Stress Scale
[41] Semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire Portion size, frequency of consumption Not specified Depressive symptoms Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10)
[42] Question about fruit and vegetable consumption Frequency of consumption Not specified
  • (1)

    Depression

  • (2)

    Quality of life
  • (1)

    EURO-D scale (depression scale)

  • (2)

    CASP-12 with subscales for Control, Autonomy, Self-realization and Pleasure
[43] Question about fruit and vegetable consumption on a typical day with a list of country-specific examples of fruits and vegetables Frequency of consumption Not specified
  • (1)

    Depressive symptoms

  • (2)

    Quality of life
  • (1)

    Number of depressive symptoms during the previous 2 weeks (loss of appetite, slowed-down thinking, problems falling asleep, waking up too early, difficulties concentrating, slowing down in moving around, feeling anxious or worried, being restless, feeling negative about oneself, feeling hopeless, losing interest in sex, suicidal ideation, suicidal behavior)

  • (2)

    8-items version of the WHO Quality of Life scale (WHOQOL)
[44] Question about fruit and vegetable consumption over the last 3 days Frequency of consumption Vegetables including salads Depression and subsyndromal depression Geriatric Mental State (GMS)
[45] Questions about fruit and vegetable consumption on a typical day when they are consumed, fruit and vegetable consumption on a typical week Portion size, frequency of consumption Not specified Mental well-being 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12)
[35] WHO STEPS Instrument Frequency of consumption Not specified
  • (1)

    Mental components of health

  • (2)

    Major depression

  • (3)

    Anxiety
  • (1)

    Short Form (SF-8) Health Survey

  • (2)

    Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)

  • (3)

    Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7)
[46] Food frequency questionnaire with 55 food items Frequency of consumption recalculated into Mediterranean Diet Serving Score (MDSS) Not specified Minor psychiatric disorders and psychological distress General Health Questionnaire-30 (GHQ-30)
[47] Semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire with 27 food items Frequency of consumption Not specified Health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) Short Form 36-Health Survey (SF-36), including Mental Health Component (MH)
[48] Semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire with 147 food items and 14 items related to local spices and vegetables Frequency of consumption converted to g/day Fruits including juices Depression, anxiety and stress The Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scales (DASS, 21-items)
[49] Questions about fruit and vegetable consumption on a previous day Frequency of consumption Fruits including canned, dried, fruit juices
Vegetables including salads 		Psychological well-being 17-items from the Control, Autonomy, Satisfaction, Pleasure Scale (CASP-17)
[50] Questions about number of days a week when fruit and vegetables are consumed, and consumption on a typical day when they are consumed Frequency of consumption for raw and processed ones Fruit including canned
Vegetables including canned
  • (1)

    Depressive symptoms

  • (2)

    Anxiety

  • (3)

    Negative and positive mood

  • (4)

    Life satisfaction

  • (5)

    Flourishing
  • (1)

    Centre for Epidemiological Depression Scale (CESD)

  • (2)

    7-items Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale—Anxiety Subscale (HADS-A)

  • (3)

    Question about 12 negative (hostile, stressed, irritable, angry, anxious, annoyed, nervous, tense, hopeless, unhappy, dejected, sad) and 12 positive affects (enthusiastic, excited, energetic, joyful, happy, cheerful, pleasant, good, relaxed, calm, content, satisfied)

  • (4)

    Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS)

  • (5)

    Flourishing Scale
[51] Question about fruit and vegetable consumption on a previous day Frequency of consumption Fruits including fruit juices
Vegetables including vegetable juices		 Depressive symptoms Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10)
[52] Nutritional questionnaire to assess intake of products for Mediterranean Diet adherence score (MeDi) and Index of Diet Quality (IDQ) Frequency of consumption 100% juice as a separate group
Vegetables including salads		 Perceived happiness Visual Analog Scale of Happiness (0–100 mm)
[53] Not specified Frequency of consumption recalculated into Mediterranean Diet Score Not specified Depressive symptoms Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)
[54] Semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire with 106 food items Total fruit and total vegetables intake Fruit including juices, dried and herbs
Vegetables including salads
  • (1)

    Anxiety and depression

  • (2)

    Psychological distress
  • (1)

    Iranian-validated version of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)

  • (2)

    Iranian-validated version of General Health Questionnaire (GHQ)
[55] Question about eating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables daily during last weeks 5-point Likert scale for following recommendation Not specified
  • (1)

    Restful sleep;

  • (2)

    Sleep quality;

  • (3)

    Quality of life and subjective health
  • (1)

    Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10) item—level of restful sleep;

  • (2)

    World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) Questionnaire question—level of satisfaction with sleep;

  • (3)

    WHOQOL-BREF Questionnaire question—level of quality of life
[56] Two items from the National Cancer Institute Quick Food Scan Frequency of consumption Fruit including 100% pure juices
Vegetables including 100% pure juices		 Health-Related Self-Efficacy Question: “Overall, how confident are you about your ability to take good care of your health?” using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from (1) completely confident to (5) not at all confident
[57] Question about fruit consumption on a typical day Frequency of consumption Not specified Self-reported depression status
  • (1)

    question: “During the last 12 months, have you had a period lasting several days when you felt sad, empty or depressed?” Yes/No

  • (2)

    question: “Overall in the last 30 days, how much of a problem did you have with feeling sad, low or depressed?” None/Mild/Moderate/Severe/Extreme
[58] Validated questions about fruit and vegetable consumption on a typical day Frequency of consumption Fruits including canned
Vegetables including salads		 Psychological distress 10-items Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10)
[59] Question about fruit and vegetable consumption on a typical day Frequency of consumption Not specified
  • (1)

    Happiness

  • (2)

    Depressive symptoms
  • (1)

    Happiness Scale

  • (2)

    Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10)
[60] Question about fruit and vegetable consumption on a typical day Frequency of consumption, intake Fruit including juices Clinically-relevant levels of depressive symptoms Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)
[61] Either semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire with 90 food items (CoLaus/PsyCoLauS), or question about fruit and vegetable consumption on a typical day (SHS) Frequency of consumption Fruits including juices
Vegetables including salads and juices		 Depression Either semi-structured Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies (DIGS) (CoLaus/PsyCoLauS), or Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) (SHS)
[62] The National Cancer Institute (NCI) All Day Fruit and Vegetable Screener Portion size, frequency of consumption Vegetables including salads and vegetable soups
  • (1)

    Well-being

  • (2)

    Positive affect and negative affect
  • (1)

    Satisfaction with Life Scale (LS)

  • (2)

    The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)
[63] WHO STEPS Instrument Number of portions Not specified Depressive symptoms (including major depressive syndrome) Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
[64] Validated semi-quantitative questionnaire Frequency of consumption Not specified Depressive symptoms Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10)
[65] Questions about number of days a week when fruit and vegetables are consumed, and consumption on a typical day when they are consumed Frequency of consumption Fruit including canned and juices Vegetables including canned and juices Happiness score Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ)
[66] Questions about number of days a week when fruit and vegetables are consumed, and consumption on a typical day when they are consumed Frequency of consumption Fruit including canned and dried
Vegetables including canned		 Self-reported life satisfaction
  • (1)

    Question about subjective assessment how satisfied with his life is respondent

  • (2)

    Medical Outcomes Short Form (SF-36)—question about being a happy person
[67] Question about fruit and vegetable included to diet at least monthly;
Question about fruit and vegetable consumption on a typical day		 Frequency of consumption Not specified Depression, anxiety and stress The Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scales (DASS, 21-items)
[68] Question about fruit and vegetable consumption on a present day Frequency of consumption Juices, dried fruits and vegetables excluded
  • (1)

    Daily eudaemonic well-being

  • (2)

    Daily curiosity

  • (3)

    Daily creativity

  • (4)

    Daily affect
  • (1)

    Adaptation of the Flourishing Scale (8-items)

  • (2)

    Curiosity and Exploration Inventory (7-items)

  • (3)

    Question about subjective assessment of own creativity level on a present day

  • (4)

    Question about subjective assessment of own affects on a present day—9 items for positive affects (calm, content, relaxed, happy, cheerful, pleasant, energetic, enthusiastic, and excited) and 9 for negative affcts (sad, dejected, depressed, nervous, anxious, tense, angry, irritable, and hostile
[69] Question about fruit and vegetable consumption on a typical day Frequency of consumption Juices excluded
  • (1)

    Major depression

  • (2)

    Psychological distress
  • (1)

    Composite International Diagnostic Interview Short Form (CIDI-SF)

  • (2)

    Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6)
[70] 6-items food frequency screener Frequency of consumption Fruit juices and green salad included in the screener as a separate question Quality of life Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) (including self-reported mental health, days of poor mental health in the past month, days of limited activities because of poor physical/mental health in the past month)
[71] Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization food frequency questionnaire (CSIRO FFQ) Frequency of consumption Fruit/vegetables excluding juices Stress Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS)—Stress subscale
[72] Food frequency questionnaire including questions about number of days a week when fruit and vegetables are consumed, and consumption on a typical day when they are consumed Frequency of consumption, following recommendations Fruits including juices
Vegetables including salads and juices		 Psychological distress 5-items Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5)
[73] Food frequency questionnaire Frequency of consumption Vegetables including salads
  • (1)

    Stress

  • (2)

    Depressive symptoms
  • (1)

    Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4 items)

  • (2)

    Modification of the Beck Depression Inventory (MBDI)
[74] Question about fruit and vegetable consumption on a typical day Frequency of consumption Vegetables including salads and potatoes Depressive symptoms Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10)
[75] 1998 Block Food Frequency Questionnaire for Adults Frequency of consumption Not specified Depression The Beck Depression Inventory (21-items);
Current use of antidepressants;
Self-reported history of treatment for depression
[37] Three 24-h dietary recalls Frequency of consumption Fruits including canned, dried, juices
Vegetables including juices		 Depressive symptoms Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10)
[76] Semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire with 127 food items Intake recalculated into the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), including among others component of fruits and of vegetables Not specified Depressive symptoms Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10);
Self-reported use of antidepressants
[38] Food frequency questionnaire with 63 food items Frequency of consumption Fruit including canned Psychological distress Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10)
[77] Question about fruit and vegetable consumption on a typical day Frequency of consumption Juices excluded
  • (1)

    Major depressive episode

  • (2)

    Psychological distress

  • (3)

    Self-perceived mental health

  • (4)

    Physician-diagnosed mood and anxiety disorder
  • (1)

    Composite International Diagnostic Interview-Short Form (CIDI-SF)

  • (2)

    Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6)

  • (3)

    Question about self-perceived mental health

  • (4)

    Question about chronic conditions diagnosed by a health professional for a mood disorder, such as (A) depression, bipolar disorder, mania or dysthymia, (B) anxiety disorder such as a phobia, obsessive–compulsive disorder or a panic disorder
[78] 24-h dietary recall;
Question about frequency of consumption		 Number of portions, frequency of consumption Not specified Depression Question about any recent illness (medical conditions during previous 2 weeks) or long-term illness (lasted at least 6 months), screened for depression, based on ICD-10
[79] Brief self-administered Diet History Questionnaire (BDHQ) with 75 food items Frequency of consumption Tomato products including tomato ketchup, stewed tomato, or tomato stew Depressive symptoms 30-items Japanese version of Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)
[80] Food frequency questionnaire with 49 food items Frequency of consumption Not specified Psychologic stress General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12)
[81] Question about fruit and vegetable consumption on a typical day Frequency of consumption Juices and dried fruits excluded Negative and positive affects Questions about 9 negative (depressed, sad, unhappy, anxious, nervous, tense, angry, hostile, short-tempered) and 9 positive affects (calm, content, relaxed, cheerful, happy, pleased, energetic, enthusiastic, excited)
[82] Not specified Frequency of consumption Fruit including orange juice Depending on the study:
  • (1)

    Life satisfaction

  • (2)

    Well-being

  • (3)

    Mental ill-being/mental distress

  • (4)

    Happiness

  • (5)

    Nervousness

  • (6)

    Being downhearted and low

 Depending on the study:
  • (1)

    Question about self-reported life satisfaction

  • (2)

    The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS)

  • (3)

    General Health Questionnaire GHQ (including mental ill-being/mental distress questions)

  • (4)

    Question about self-reported being happy

  • (5)

    Question about self-reported being nervous

  • (6)

    Question about self-reported being downhearted and low
[83] 3-day dietary record;
Validated food frequency questionnaire		 Frequency of consumption Fruits including juices and nectars Depression Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders, Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) Scale, Hamilton Depression Scale (Ham-D), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS)
[84] 1998 Block Food Frequency Questionnaire Frequency of consumption Not specified Depression;
Self-reported physical health		 Duke Depression Evaluation Schedule (sections of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Diagnostic Interview Schedule which assesses depression, as well as items on self-reported physical health)
[85] Question about fruit and vegetable consumption on a typical week Frequency of consumption Not specified Depressive symptoms (interpreted as having a risk of depression) Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10)
[36] Chinese Food Frequency Questionnaire-Short Form (Short C-FFQ) Frequency of consumption Not specified Quality of life Taiwanese version of the Short Form 36-Health Survey (SF-36)
[39] NCI Fruit and Vegetable screener Frequency of consumption of 9 categories of fruits and vegetables Fruit and vegetables (including fruit, fruit juices, salad, beans, French fries, other potatoes, tomato sauce, vegetable soups and other vegetables) Quality of life SF-12 Health Survey
[86] 132-item food frequency questionnaire Frequency of consumption Mayonnaise salads excluded from vegetables Depressive symptoms Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10)
[87] Semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire Frequency of consumption Not specified Depressive symptoms Shortened version of Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)
[88] Qualitative 60-items food frequency questionnaire; 24-h dietary recall Frequency of consumption Fruits including juices Attempted suicide Simple question (“Have you ever attempted suicide?”), according to the standardized criteria established in the Diagnostic Interview Schedule
[89] Food frequency questionnaire Frequency of consumption Vegetables including salads
  • (1)

    Perceived stress

  • (2)

    Depressive symptoms
  • (1)

    Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale (PSS—14 items)

  • (2)

    Modification of Beck Depression Inventory (M-BDI)
[90] Food frequency questionnaire Frequency of consumption Not specified Self-esteem Harter Self-Perception Profile for Adults (SPPA)
[91] Cross-check dietary history method Frequency of consumption, intake Not specified Dispositional optimism 4-item questionnaire—“I still expect much from life,” “I do not look forward to what lies ahead for me in the years to come,” “My days seem to be passing by slowly,” and “I am still full of plans”
[92] Food frequency questionnaire Frequency of consumption Fruits including juices
  • (1)

    Stress

  • (2)

    Depression
  • (1)

    Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)

  • (2)

    Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)
[93] Food frequency questionnaire with 32 food items Frequency of consumption Vegetables including salads Dispositional optimism Life Orientation Test (LOT-R)
[94] Food frequency inventory Frequency of consumption Fruits including juices
Vegetables including salads 		Mental health status
  • (1)

    General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12)

  • (2)

    History of lifetime mental diagnosis (for depression, anxiety, eating disorder, any other mental health problem)
[95] Food frequency questionnaire Frequency of consumption Fruits including dried, canned, pure juices
Vegetables including salads, potatoes (not chips)		 Anxiety, depression General Health Questionnaire-30 (GHQ-30)