Ultra-processed foods are convenient, inexpensive, quick to prepare or ready-to-eat, therefore perfectly suited to our Western lifestyles. However, they result from industrial preparations and formulations of processed food substances (oils, fats, sugars, starch, protein isolates) and ultimately contain little or no whole foods. The physical, biological and chemical processes of which they are the result, make them food products deficient in original and natural foods but rich in aromas, colorings, emulsifiers and other toxic additives.
An association between ultra-processed food intake and mental health
The study evaluated this association on a representative sample of the general population. Specifically, the researchers evaluated in 10,359 participants, the levels of depression, anxiety and the number of days with poor mental health. The analysis concludes that,
- participants who ate large amounts of ultra-processed foods had significantly more adverse mental health symptoms, including depression, anxiety, and mood disorders;
- these participants report more “anxiety” and “poor mental health” days.
The results, generalizable countries whose Western diets are characterized by similar ultra-processed food intakes, confirm the full importance of food on mental health and provide a new illustration of the gut-brain axis.
- Beyond that, we must not hide their effects on metabolic health of course, while “Ultra-processing foods depletes their nutritional value and increases calories, sugar, saturated fat, and salt, while reducing protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals” , adds lead author Dr. Eric Hecht, associate professor affiliated with FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine.
Given the magnitude of exposure and effects of consuming ultra-processed foods, the study has definite clinical and public health implications.
