A high sugar intake is associated with an increased incidence of common mental disorders in men, but not in women, a UK prospective cohort study has found. The Whitehall II study recruited a cohort of 10,308 civil servants (6,895 men and 3,413 women) in 1985-88. During the 25-year follow-up period, diet was assessed on four occasions using a food frequency questionnaire. Compared with those in the lowest tertile, men in the highest tertile of sugar intake had significantly increased odds of incident common mental disorder five years later.