Junk foods (too) are bad for mental health

Why ? Because “these products have been shown to promote oxidative stress and inflammation, and to modulate the gut microbiota or even genome expression. It is therefore not excluded that they have an effect on mental health, which is known to be sensitive to these various factors,” explains Tasneem Akbarali.

30% additional risk

For valider this hypothese, the chercheuse and his équipe ont utilisé les données d’une vaste étude d’une cohorte Britannique, menée depuis 1985 and qui s’intéresse à la santé of more than a million milliers of Britanniques fonctionnaires age from 35 to 55 ans, majoritairement Men. The scientists reviewed their answers to questions about their eating habits between 1991 and 2004, and their possible depressive symptoms, which were assessed several times between 2002 and 2016.

Conclusion: There would indeed be a “significant association” between higher consumption of ultra-processed foods and the risk of recurrence of depressive symptoms. In detail, participants whose diet consisted of at least one-third of processed foods had a 30% increased risk of recurrent episodes of depressive symptoms, compared to those whose share of ultra-processed foods in daily intake was less than one-fifth.

For Tasnime Akbaraly, the results of this study should encourage further exploration of the impact of different food processing methods, additives, emulsifiers, and preservatives on mental health. Pending new work, we can always refer to the conclusions of his previous study, which showed that adopting a Mediterranean diet (rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, and grains) was associated with a 33% lower risk of depression.

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