Mayonnaise intake and depression: dose-response in humans and neurobehavioral and molecular mechanisms in zebrafish.
5 affiliations
- 1Neurologic Department, The People's Hospital of Chongqing Liangping District, Chongqing, 405200, China.
- 2College of Food and Bio-engineering, Bengbu University, Bengbu, Anhui, 233030, China.
- 3Nanjing Simcere Medical Laboratory Science Co., Ltd., State Key Laboratory of Neurology and Oncology Drug Development, Nanjing, 210042, China.
- 4Jiangsu Simcere Diagnostic Technology Co., Ltd., State Key Laboratory of Neurology and Oncology Drug Development, Nanjing, 210042, China.
- 5Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210011, China.
Abstract
Background
Depression is the leading global cause of disability, yet dietary research has overlooked condiments as a concentrated, habitual exposure. Emulsified high-fat condiments may drive neuroinflammation independently of total caloric intake, offering a feasible prevention target, but their mental health impact remains unexamined.Methods
This study comprised two phases: (1) A cross-sectional analysis of 2423 adults from NHANES 2005-2006, examining associations between condiment intake frequency and PHQ-9 scores using negative binomial regression; (2) A zebrafish experiment where adult fish were exposed to 0%, 1%, 5%, or 10% mayonnaise for 4 weeks, followed by behavioral assessment and qPCR analysis of hub genes identified by network toxicology.Results
In NHANES, ≥3 times/week intake of sugar/honey (aRR = 1.22, 95%CI: 1.02-1.45), margarine (1.19, 1.01-1.41), butter (1.30, 1.09-1.55), and mayonnaise (1.37, 1.12-1.66) was associated with higher PHQ-9 scores (all P < 0.05). Mayonnaise showed the strongest association. In zebrafish, mayonnaise dose-dependently altered depression-like behaviors, including reduced top exploration and increased freezing time (P < 0.05). Network toxicology identified 81 shared targets between mayonnaise components (linoleic and elaidic acid) and depression, with PPARA, SRC, PTGS2, IL6, and ESR1 as central hubs. qPCR showed dose-dependent upregulation of ppara, ptgs2a, il6, and esr1 in zebrafish brain (P < 0.05).Conclusions
Mayonnaise and comparable emulsified high-fat condiments are independently associated with depressive symptoms, with amplified risk in specific vulnerable subgroups. Zebrafish behavioral and molecular data provide hypothesis-generating mechanistic plausibility. Targeted condiment reduction thus represents an actionable, low-barrier strategy for depression prevention.
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BibTeX
@article{yao2026mayonnaise,
title = {{Mayonnaise intake and depression: dose-response in humans and neurobehavioral and molecular mechanisms in zebrafish.}},
author = {Zhiping Yao and Xuan Dong and Xuewen Liu and Dongsheng Chen and Xing Zhang and Hui Peng},
journal = {Biochemistry and biophysics reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.bbrep.2026.102840},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42910290},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Mayonnaise intake and depression: dose-response in humans and neurobehavioral and molecular mechanisms in zebrafish.
AU - Zhiping Yao
AU - Xuan Dong
AU - Xuewen Liu
AU - Dongsheng Chen
AU - Xing Zhang
AU - Hui Peng
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
JO - Biochemistry and biophysics reports
DO - 10.1016/j.bbrep.2026.102840
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42910290
AB - Background Depression is the leading global cause of disability, yet dietary research has overlooked condiments as a concentrated, habitual exposure. Emulsified high-fat condiments may drive neuroinflammation independently of total caloric intake, offering a feasible prevention target, but their mental health impact remains unexamined.Methods This study comprised two phases: (1) A cross-sectional analysis of 2423 adults from NHANES 2005-2006, examining associations between condiment intake frequency and PHQ-9 scores using negative binomial regression; (2) A zebrafish experiment where adult fish were exposed to 0%, 1%, 5%, or 10% mayonnaise for 4 weeks, followed by behavioral assessment and qPCR analysis of hub genes identified by network toxicology.Results In NHANES, ≥3 times/week intake of sugar/honey (aRR = 1.22, 95%CI: 1.02-1.45), margarine (1.19, 1.01-1.41), butter (1.30, 1.09-1.55), and mayonnaise (1.37, 1.12-1.66) was associated with higher PHQ-9 scores (all P < 0.05). Mayonnaise showed the strongest association. In zebrafish, mayonnaise dose-dependently altered depression-like behaviors, including reduced top exploration and increased freezing time (P < 0.05). Network toxicology identified 81 shared targets between mayonnaise components (linoleic and elaidic acid) and depression, with PPARA, SRC, PTGS2, IL6, and ESR1 as central hubs. qPCR showed dose-dependent upregulation of ppara, ptgs2a, il6, and esr1 in zebrafish brain (P < 0.05).Conclusions Mayonnaise and comparable emulsified high-fat condiments are independently associated with depressive symptoms, with amplified risk in specific vulnerable subgroups. Zebrafish behavioral and molecular data provide hypothesis-generating mechanistic plausibility. Targeted condiment reduction thus represents an actionable, low-barrier strategy for depression prevention.
SN - 2405-5808
ER -