These common foods may be making you anxious, study shows

The food you eat has a huge impact on the state of your mental health, just as much as it does on your physical wellbeing, a new study reveals. Researchers have found that consuming ultra-processed foods such as chips, chicken nuggets and soft drinks could make you more anxious and depressed.

The study

The team of researchers from the Florida Atlantic University’s Schmidt College of Medicine set out to explore whether individuals who consume higher amounts of ultra-processed food have more adverse mental health symptoms, according to Florida Atlantic University.

They derived their data from a nationally representative sample of the United States population and found that individuals who consumed the most ultra-processed foods as compared with those who consumed the least amount had statistically significant increases in the adverse mental health symptoms of mild depression and anxiety. In the study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition, the researchers said:

More than 70 percent of packaged foods in the U.S. are classified as ultra-processed food and represent about 60 percent of all calories consumed by Americans. Given the magnitude of exposure to and effects of ultra-processed food consumption, our study has significant clinical and public health implications.

Impact

Although findings from this study are based on data from the US, researchers said the results could be applicable to other Western countries with similar ultra-processed food intakes. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly 1 in 5 adults live with a mental illness.

Such illnesses including depression and anxiety, are leading causes of morbidity, disability and mortality. The team added:

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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