These foods increase your risk of depression by 80%
You are not in your right mood? What if the problem came right from your plate? If the harmful effects of poor diet on the body are no longer in doubt, psychonutritionists have established Relationship between psychological disorders and dietA study conducted by researchers from schmidt College of Medicine The University of Florida took aim at the harmful effects of certain foods on mental health, specifically pointing to an increased risk of depression. In their sights: ultra-processed foods.
Practical, inexpensive, quick to consume… industrial food is ubiquitous on supermarket shelves. But their consumption will not only be risky for our physical health but will also affect our mental health. After analyzing data from 10,359 adults aged 18 and older, US researchers found that those who ate ultra-processed foods daily had a “significant” increase in anxiety and depressive disorders.
Ultra-Processed Foods Make Us “Unhappy”
“Compared with those who ate the least amount of ultra-processed foods, those who ate the most 80% more likely to have symptoms of mild or more severe depression », underlines the study. In addition, the “suffering days” recorded by the researchers were 20% higher for fans of industrial cuisine.
If the findings established by researchers are shocking, how can we explain the harmful effects of these foods on a psychological level? To explain this, Eric Hecht, one of the study’s authors, suggests looking at our nutritional needs. “Ultra-processed foods reduce their nutritional value and also increase calorie intake, as ultra-processed foods are high in added sugar, saturated fat and salt, while they contain less protein, fiber, vitamins, , minerals and phytochemicals are low”. Once we take away the food of their superpowers, what is left with them? “Given the risks and effects of consumption of ultra-processed foods, our study has important clinical and public health implications,” the researchers cautioned. Although the experiment was conducted in the United States with a representative sample of the American population, the study indicates that the findings of the work “will be generalizable to other Western countries with similar ultra-processed food intake”.
List of foods to avoid
As its name suggests, an ultra-processed food has undergone chemical and biological changes by industrial processes. It contains additives, preservatives and flavor enhancers and, above all, less vitamins than products in their natural state. official website eatmove List of ultra-processed foods present on store shelves:
- soda and industrial sugary drinks,
- cold meats,
- Most breads and brioches sold in supermarkets,
- industrial prepared food,
- margarine,
- Some flavored dairy products, etc.
Many other products should be banned from your diet. Food now represents about 70% of industrial products labeled and packaged in supermarkets. To recognize them, it is better to develop a tendency to look more closely at the composition of products. We are not asked to be experts in deciphering labels, but rather to be wary of products that contain ingredients we do not know or that would be absent in the recipe you would prepare at home, such as That is a cake containing lactic esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, bovine gelatin, processed corn starch.
However, all this is nothing new. Previous research has already revealed the harms of these foods. However, the data rarely warn of specific psychological disorders. Given the increasing consumption of these products, limiting their consumption represents a major health issue.
Source
public health nutrition, Cross-sectional investigation of ultra-processed food consumption and adverse mental health symptoms.,