Overview: Consuming large amounts of highly processed foods can affect your mental health and increase your risk of anxiety and depression.
sauce: FAUMore
Do you like sweet and sugary drinks, reconstituted meat products, and packaged snacks? We recommend that you reconsider.
While ultraprocessed foods are convenient, low cost, ready to cook or ready to eat, these industrial blends of processed food substances (oils, fats, sugars, starches, protein isolates) have Contains little or no whole foods.
They result from a wide range of “physical, biological, and chemical processes” that create foods that are deficient in their natural origin. Ultra-processed foods typically contain flavors, colors, emulsifiers, and other cosmetic additives.
While there is some evidence regarding ultra-processed food consumption and depression, data on other adverse mental health symptoms, such as anxiety and mentally unhealthy days, are sparse.
Researchers and collaborators at Florida Atlantic University’s Schmidt School of Medicine studied a representative sample of the U.S. population and found that individuals who consume large amounts of ultra-processed foods were more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and a mentally unhealthy day. We determined whether they reported significantly more adverse mental health symptoms, such as
They measured mild depression, days of mental illness, and days of anxiety in 10,359 adults aged 18 and older from the US National Health and Nutrition Survey.
Research results published in journals public health nutritionindividuals who consumed the most ultra-processed foods had more adverse mental health symptoms of mild depression, ‘mentally unhealthy days’ and ‘anxious days’ compared with those who consumed the least. It was shown that there was a significant increase in
They were also significantly less likely to report zero ‘mentally unhealthy days’ and ‘anxious days’.
The findings are generalizable not only to the United States as a whole, but also to other Western countries with similar ultra-processed food intakes.
“Because ultra-processed foods tend to be high in sugar, saturated fat, and salt while being low in protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, ultra-processing a food depletes its nutritional value and increases its calorie content.” It increases the number, said Eric Hecht, M.D., Ph.D., corresponding author and associate professor at FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine.
“More than 70% of packaged foods in the U.S. are classified as ultra-processed foods, which account for approximately 60% of all calories consumed by Americans. Our study has important clinical and public health implications.”
The researchers used the NOVA food classification system, a widely used system recently adopted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, for their study. Considering the nature, scope and purpose of food processing, NOVA classifies foods and beverages into four groups: unprocessed or minimally processed foods, processed food ingredients, processed foods and ultra-processed foods.
“Data from this study add important and relevant information to the growing body of evidence regarding the adverse effects of ultra-processed food consumption on mental health symptoms,” said Charles H. Henekens, M.D., Ph.D., co-author. , the first Sir Richard Dole Professor of Medicine and Senior Academic Advisor to the FAU Schmidt Medical College.
“Analytical epidemiological studies are needed to test the many hypotheses formulated from these descriptive data.”
Nearly one in five adults has a mental illness, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety are major causes of morbidity, disability and mortality.
About this diet and psychology research news
author: press office
sauce: FAUMore
contact: Press Office – FAU
image: Image credited to FAU
Original research: closed access.
“A cross-sectional study of ultra-processed food consumption and adverse mental health symptoms,” by Eric M. Hecht et al. public health nutrition
Overview
Cross-sectional consideration of ultra-processed food intake and mental health disorders
Purpose:
See also
To investigate whether individuals who consume large amounts of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) exhibit more adverse mental health symptoms.
design:
Using a cross-sectional design, the NOVA food classification system was used to measure UPF consumption as a percentage of total energy intake in kilocalories. Using multivariate analysis adjusting for potential confounding variables, the likelihood that individuals consuming more of her UPF reported milder depression, more mentally unhealthy days, and more anxious days each month investigated whether the high
setting:
A representative sample from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2012.
participant:
10,359 adults aged 18 years and older with no history of cocaine, methamphetamine, or heroin use.
result:
After adjusting for covariates, individuals with the highest UPF consumption levels were significantly more likely to report at least mild depression (OR: 1.81; 95 % CI1.09, 3.02) and were more mentally unhealthy. (risk ratio (RR): 1.22; 95 % CI 1.18, 1.25) and more anxious days (RR: 1.19; 95 % CI 1.16, 1.23). They were also significantly less likely to report a mentally unhealthy day (OR: 0.60; 95 % CI 0.41, 0.88) or an anxious day (OR: 0.65; 95 % CI 0.47, 0.90). .
Conclusion:
Individuals reporting high UPF intake were significantly more likely to report mild depression, more mentally unhealthy and anxious days, and zero mentally unhealthy or anxious days. These data add important information to the growing body of evidence regarding the potential adverse effects of UPF consumption on mental health.
