Study reveals people consuming ultra-processed food are more likely to have adverse mental health symptoms

Once in a while, there are days when you, all of a sudden, feel anxious, not okay, or sad. Like everyone else, you try to pinpoint its root cause in order to be able to deal with it. A lot of possible factors could be blamed for the occurrence of these feelings and according to the researchers from Florida Atlantic University's Schmidt College of Medicine, your food intake can be one of the reasons.

In an article published on Science Daily, a study revealed that individuals who consumed high amounts of ultra-processed food showed significantly more adverse mental health symptoms including depression, anxiety, and mentally unhealthy days than those who ate less of it.

According to Harvard Health Publishing, highly processed or ultra-processed foods are made mostly from substances extracted from foods such as fats, starches, added sugars, and hydrogenated fats. Most of them also have artificial coloring and flavors as well as stabilizers.

Using the data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the NOVA food classification, they were able to asses 10,359 adults, whose ages are 18 and above. NOVA helps categorize foods and beverages into four groups; unprocessed or minimally processed foods, processed culinary ingredients, processed foods, and ultra-processed foods.

The study unveils that those who consumed the most ultra-processed foods had a statistically significant increase in the adverse mental health symptoms of mild depression and has lower rates of having zero “mentally unhealthy days” and zero “anxious days.”

As stated by Eric Hecht, M.D., Ph.D., corresponding author and an affiliate associate professor in FAU's Schmidt College of Medicine, “The ultra-processing of food depletes its nutritional value and also increases the number of calories, as ultra-processed foods tend to be high in added sugar, saturated fat and salt, while low in protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.”

This one is just one of the many pieces of research that revealed the harmful impacts of consuming these convenient, low-cost, and ready-to-eat meals. According to Charles H. Hennekens, M.D., Dr.PH, co-author, the first Sir Richard Doll Professor of Medicine, and senior academic advisor, FAU Schmidt College of Medicine, “Data from this study add important and relevant information to a growing body of evidence concerning the adverse effects of ultra-processed consumption on mental health symptoms.”

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