Eating ultra processed foods leads to psychological distress

Pass on the fast food.

New research shows a connection between consumption of highly processed food in adolescence and “elevated” mental distress later in life, according to a paper published in the Journal of Affective Disorders and available online via ScienceDirect.com.

“Participants with the highest intake of ultra-processed food had increased odds of elevated psychological distress,” the study authors wrote.

The study was based on data from the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study. The authors looked at the mental health consequences for individuals who ate large amounts of processed food in adolescence, between 13 and 17 years of age.

The authors found that “higher ultra-processed food intake at baseline was associated with subsequent elevated psychological distress as an indicator of depression at follow-up.”

Those in the highest quarter of processed food consumption were 14% likelier to experience a mental health crisis than the bottom 25%.

That top population — coming out of an initial sample size of 23,299 participants — were found to be more vulnerable to experiencing psychological distress at the 15-year follow up.

These struggles were termed by the authors a “marker for depression.”

Previously, ultraprocessed foods have been tied to increased risks of cancer and dementia as well.

Cognitive decline was connected to consumption of snacks like chips, cookies, frozen meals and soda.

Researchers involved in one junk food study observed a 25% spike in the likelihood of being diagnosed with dementia among those who ate the foods in large quantities.

Another early 2023 study showed a 2% increased risk of cancer for every 10% increase in junk food consumption.