Dietary Micronutrient Intake and Its Associations with Memory Function, Mental Health, and Sleep Quality among Medical University Students: A Network Analysis
Abstract
Objective: Micronutrient deficiencies among university students may adversely influence their sleep quality, mental health, and memory function. The overarching purpose of this study was to evaluate the associations between dietary micronutrient intake and memory performance, mental health, and sleep quality among medical university students.
Method: This was a cross-sectional study conducted on a sample of 985 university students. The Food Frequency Questionnaire, Prospective & Retrospective Memory Questionnaire, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory were used to assess dietary intake, memory function, mental health, and sleep quality, respectively. An undirected network was constructed via the EBICglasso model, and a directed acyclic graph was developed employing a Bayesian network.
Results: The average age of the students was 22.44 ± 1.95 years. Among these participants, 500 (50.76%) were female and 485 (49.24%) were male. Assessments showed that 485 (49.20%) participants had depression symptoms, 490 (49.70%) had anxiety symptoms, 620 (62.90%) had stress, and 535 (54.30%) experienced sleep disturbances based on the cut-off scores of the questionnaires. Network analyses identified zinc, magnesium, B-group vitamins, vitamin D, and vitamin C as central nodes related to mental health, memory function, and sleep quality.
Conclusion: Zinc, magnesium, vitamin B2, vitamin D, and vitamin C emerged as key micronutrients associated with mental health, memory function, and sleep quality. These micronutrients represent promising targets for future clinical studies.
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15. Asghari A, Saed F, Dibajnia P. Psychometric properties of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) in a non-clinical Iranian sample. Int J psychol. 2008;2(2):82–102.
16. Zare H, Sahragard M, Khodamoradi S. Investigating of internal consistency and confirmatory factor analysis of prospective and retrospective memory in an Iranian sample. Iranian Journal Of Cognition And Education. 2014;1(1):33–8.
17. Farrahi Moghaddam J, Nakhaee N, Sheibani V, Garrusi B, Amirkafi A. Reliability and validity of the Persian version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI-P). Sleep Breath. 2012;16(1):79-82.
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20. Jafari-Vayghan H, Mirmajidi S, Mollarasouli Z, Vahid F, Saleh-Ghadimi S, Dehghan P. Mental health is associated with nutrient patterns and Index of Nutritional Quality (INQ) in adolescent girls-an analytical study. Human Nutrition & Metabolism. 2023;31:200176.
21. Karami-Mohajeri S, Khalifee S, Heidari MR, Dabaghzadeh F. Evaluating the effect of vitamin D3 supplementation on anxiety, depression, sleep quality, and physical morbidity in students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences. Journal of Jiroft University of Medical Sciences. 2021;8(3):709–18.
22. Pilato IB, Beezhold B, Radnitz C. Diet and lifestyle factors associated with cognitive performance in college students. J Am Coll Health. 2022;70(7):2230-6.
23. Saha S, Okafor H, Biediger-Friedman L, Behnke A. Association between diet and symptoms of anxiety and depression in college students: A systematic review. J Am Coll Health. 2023;71(4):1270-80.
24. Ramón-Arbués E, Granada-López JM, Martínez-Abadía B, Echániz-Serrano E, Antón-Solanas I, Jerue BA. The Association between Diet and Sleep Quality among Spanish University Students. Nutrients. 2022;14(16):3291.
25. Meli AM, Ali A, Mhd Jalil AM, Mohd Yusof H, Tan MMC. Effects of Physical Activity and Micronutrients on Cognitive Performance in Children Aged 6 to 11 Years: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Medicina (Kaunas). 2021;58(1):57.
26. Akbari A, Mirakhori F, Ashouri M, Nehzat NTS. The effect of micronutrient intake on cognitive function and physical activity of the elderly. 2021.
27. Hajianfar H, Mollaghasemi N, Tavakoly R, Campbell MS, Mohtashamrad M, Arab A. The association between dietary zinc intake and health status, including mental health and sleep quality, among Iranian female students. Biological Trace Element Research. 2021;199(5):1754–61.
28. HAMURCU P. The Relationship of Dietary Nutrients with Depression, Anxiety and Stress: A Sample of Nutrition and Dietetics Students. GEVHER NESIBE JOURNAL OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES. 2023;8(1):190–201.
29. Arabshahi V, Khoddami M, Milajerdi M, Moabedi M, Milajerdi A. Association between dietary intake of vitamin D and risk of depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders among physically active adults: a cross-sectional study. Front Nutr. 2024;11:1339152.
30. Askari M, Abbaszadeh A, Saharkhiz M, Karbasi S, Talebpour A, Fashami AAA, et al. A study of the association between cognitive abilities and dietary intake in young women. Nutr Health. 2020;26(3):263-70.
31. O'Connor D, Molloy AM, Laird E, Kenny RA, O'Halloran AM. Sustaining an ageing population: the role of micronutrients in frailty and cognitive impairment. Proc Nutr Soc. 2023;82(3):315-28.
32. Maggini S, Óvári V, Ferreres Giménez I, Pueyo Alamán MG. Benefits of micronutrient supplementation on nutritional status, energy metabolism, and subjective wellbeing. Nutr Hosp. 2021;38(Spec No2):3-8.
33. Rizwan AAM. Energy and nutrients intake among university students of Bangladesh. Academixs Journal of Nutrition & Food Science. 2021.
34. Tao X, Shao Y, Xu D, Huang Y, Yu X, Zhong T, et al. Dietary Patterns and Nutrient Intake in University Students of Macao: A Cross-Sectional Study. Nutrients. 2022;14(17):3642.
35. Mesripour A, Golchin S. Vitamin B6 Antidepressant Effects Are Comparable to Common Antidepressant Drugs in Bacillus-Calmette-Guerin Induced Depression Model in Mice. Iran J Psychiatry. 2022;17(2):208-16.
36. Ji K, Sun M, Li L, Hong Y, Yang S, Wu Y. Association between vitamin B2 intake and cognitive performance among older adults: a cross-sectional study from NHANES. Sci Rep. 2024;14(1):21930.
37. Tae H, Chae JH. Association Between Riboflavin Intake and Suicidal Ideation: A Nationwide Study in Korea. Nutrients. 2025;17(3):449.
38. Etebary S, Nikseresht S, Sadeghipour HR, Zarrindast MR. Postpartum depression and role of serum trace elements. Iran J Psychiatry. 2010;5(2):40-6.
39. Chen F, Wang J, Cheng Y, Li R, Wang Y, Chen Y, et al. Magnesium and Cognitive Health in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Adv Nutr. 2024;15(8):100272.
2. Fauzi MF, Anuar TS, Teh LK, Lim WF, James RJ, Ahmad R, et al. Stress, Anxiety and Depression among a Cohort of Health Sciences Undergraduate Students: The Prevalence and Risk Factors. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(6):3269.
3. Aprilia A, Aminatun D. Investigating memory loss: How depression affects students’ memory endurance. Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning. 2022;3(1):1–11.
4. Youcefi N, Irfan M, Aldylaylan F. The effects of stress and anxiety on the Academic Performance of Students: A cross-sectional experimental study. 2023.
5. Sheldon E, Simmonds-Buckley M, Bone C, Mascarenhas T, Chan N, Wincott M, et al. Prevalence and risk factors for mental health problems in university undergraduate students: A systematic review with meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2021;287:282-92.
6. Hammoudi Halat D, Hallit S, Younes S, AlFikany M, Khaled S, Krayem M, et al. Exploring the effects of health behaviors and mental health on students' academic achievement: a cross-sectional study on lebanese university students. BMC Public Health. 2023;23(1):1228.
7. Baik HW. Mental health and micronutrients: a narrative review. Annals of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. 2024;16(3):112–9.
8. Lewis JE, Poles J, Shaw DP, Karhu E, Khan SA, Lyons AE, et al. The effects of twenty-one nutrients and phytonutrients on cognitive function: A narrative review. J Clin Transl Res. 2021;7(4):575-620.
9. Cansino S, Torres-Trejo F, Estrada-Manilla C, Flores-Mendoza A, Ramírez-Pérez G, Ruiz-Velasco S. Influence of Dietary Nutrient Intake on Episodic Memory Across the Adult Life Span. Front Aging Neurosci. 2021;13:724595.
10. Muscaritoli M. The Impact of Nutrients on Mental Health and Well-Being: Insights From the Literature. Front Nutr. 2021;8:656290.
11. Mahdavifar B, Hosseinzadeh M, Salehi-Abargouei A, Mirzaei M, Vafa M. Dietary intake of B vitamins and their association with depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms: A cross-sectional, population-based survey. J Affect Disord. 2021;288:92-8.
12. Peng P, Wang Q, Lang XE, Liu T, Zhang XY. Association between thyroid dysfunction, metabolic disturbances, and clinical symptoms in first-episode, untreated Chinese patients with major depressive disorder: Undirected and Bayesian network analyses. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023;14:1138233.
13. Rhee JJ, Sampson L, Cho E, Hughes MD, Hu FB, Willett WC. Comparison of methods to account for implausible reporting of energy intake in epidemiologic studies. Am J Epidemiol. 2015;181(4):225-33.
14. Mirmiran P, Esfahani FH, Mehrabi Y, Hedayati M, Azizi F. Reliability and relative validity of an FFQ for nutrients in the Tehran lipid and glucose study. Public Health Nutr. 2010;13(5):654-62.
15. Asghari A, Saed F, Dibajnia P. Psychometric properties of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) in a non-clinical Iranian sample. Int J psychol. 2008;2(2):82–102.
16. Zare H, Sahragard M, Khodamoradi S. Investigating of internal consistency and confirmatory factor analysis of prospective and retrospective memory in an Iranian sample. Iranian Journal Of Cognition And Education. 2014;1(1):33–8.
17. Farrahi Moghaddam J, Nakhaee N, Sheibani V, Garrusi B, Amirkafi A. Reliability and validity of the Persian version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI-P). Sleep Breath. 2012;16(1):79-82.
18. Erkoreka L, Ozamiz-Etxebarria N, Ruiz O, Prieto M, Aspiazu S, Mingo A, et al. Reported severity of psychotic, depressive and anxiety symptoms in relation to bilingual language profile: An exploratory study and the validation of Basque versions of the PQ-B, DASS-42, PHQ-9 and GAD-7. PLoS One. 2025;20(3):e0314069.
19. Sharifi MH, Mansouriyekta E, Masoumi SJ, Mirahmadizadeh A, Rostami Ghotbabadi Z. Association Between Adequacy and Moderation of Quality of Diet with Metabolic Syndrome Parameters Among Iranian Health Workers Based on the Baseline Data of Employees Health Cohort Study. Arch Iran Med. 2025;28(4):182-8.
20. Jafari-Vayghan H, Mirmajidi S, Mollarasouli Z, Vahid F, Saleh-Ghadimi S, Dehghan P. Mental health is associated with nutrient patterns and Index of Nutritional Quality (INQ) in adolescent girls-an analytical study. Human Nutrition & Metabolism. 2023;31:200176.
21. Karami-Mohajeri S, Khalifee S, Heidari MR, Dabaghzadeh F. Evaluating the effect of vitamin D3 supplementation on anxiety, depression, sleep quality, and physical morbidity in students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences. Journal of Jiroft University of Medical Sciences. 2021;8(3):709–18.
22. Pilato IB, Beezhold B, Radnitz C. Diet and lifestyle factors associated with cognitive performance in college students. J Am Coll Health. 2022;70(7):2230-6.
23. Saha S, Okafor H, Biediger-Friedman L, Behnke A. Association between diet and symptoms of anxiety and depression in college students: A systematic review. J Am Coll Health. 2023;71(4):1270-80.
24. Ramón-Arbués E, Granada-López JM, Martínez-Abadía B, Echániz-Serrano E, Antón-Solanas I, Jerue BA. The Association between Diet and Sleep Quality among Spanish University Students. Nutrients. 2022;14(16):3291.
25. Meli AM, Ali A, Mhd Jalil AM, Mohd Yusof H, Tan MMC. Effects of Physical Activity and Micronutrients on Cognitive Performance in Children Aged 6 to 11 Years: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Medicina (Kaunas). 2021;58(1):57.
26. Akbari A, Mirakhori F, Ashouri M, Nehzat NTS. The effect of micronutrient intake on cognitive function and physical activity of the elderly. 2021.
27. Hajianfar H, Mollaghasemi N, Tavakoly R, Campbell MS, Mohtashamrad M, Arab A. The association between dietary zinc intake and health status, including mental health and sleep quality, among Iranian female students. Biological Trace Element Research. 2021;199(5):1754–61.
28. HAMURCU P. The Relationship of Dietary Nutrients with Depression, Anxiety and Stress: A Sample of Nutrition and Dietetics Students. GEVHER NESIBE JOURNAL OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES. 2023;8(1):190–201.
29. Arabshahi V, Khoddami M, Milajerdi M, Moabedi M, Milajerdi A. Association between dietary intake of vitamin D and risk of depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders among physically active adults: a cross-sectional study. Front Nutr. 2024;11:1339152.
30. Askari M, Abbaszadeh A, Saharkhiz M, Karbasi S, Talebpour A, Fashami AAA, et al. A study of the association between cognitive abilities and dietary intake in young women. Nutr Health. 2020;26(3):263-70.
31. O'Connor D, Molloy AM, Laird E, Kenny RA, O'Halloran AM. Sustaining an ageing population: the role of micronutrients in frailty and cognitive impairment. Proc Nutr Soc. 2023;82(3):315-28.
32. Maggini S, Óvári V, Ferreres Giménez I, Pueyo Alamán MG. Benefits of micronutrient supplementation on nutritional status, energy metabolism, and subjective wellbeing. Nutr Hosp. 2021;38(Spec No2):3-8.
33. Rizwan AAM. Energy and nutrients intake among university students of Bangladesh. Academixs Journal of Nutrition & Food Science. 2021.
34. Tao X, Shao Y, Xu D, Huang Y, Yu X, Zhong T, et al. Dietary Patterns and Nutrient Intake in University Students of Macao: A Cross-Sectional Study. Nutrients. 2022;14(17):3642.
35. Mesripour A, Golchin S. Vitamin B6 Antidepressant Effects Are Comparable to Common Antidepressant Drugs in Bacillus-Calmette-Guerin Induced Depression Model in Mice. Iran J Psychiatry. 2022;17(2):208-16.
36. Ji K, Sun M, Li L, Hong Y, Yang S, Wu Y. Association between vitamin B2 intake and cognitive performance among older adults: a cross-sectional study from NHANES. Sci Rep. 2024;14(1):21930.
37. Tae H, Chae JH. Association Between Riboflavin Intake and Suicidal Ideation: A Nationwide Study in Korea. Nutrients. 2025;17(3):449.
38. Etebary S, Nikseresht S, Sadeghipour HR, Zarrindast MR. Postpartum depression and role of serum trace elements. Iran J Psychiatry. 2010;5(2):40-6.
39. Chen F, Wang J, Cheng Y, Li R, Wang Y, Chen Y, et al. Magnesium and Cognitive Health in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Adv Nutr. 2024;15(8):100272.
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How to Cite
1.
Dehesh T, Pournamdari S, Ahmad F, Dabaghzadeh F. Dietary Micronutrient Intake and Its Associations with Memory Function, Mental Health, and Sleep Quality among Medical University Students: A Network Analysis. Iran J Psychiatry. 2026;:1-10.
