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We already know that eating chips, fries and other fried foods is not healthy. Eating too many saturated fats can lead to serious health problems, such as obesity, cancer, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia… Research now shows that excessive consumption of fried foods also has an impact on our brain activity, causing anxiety and depression.
Read also: Can chips and fries give you cancer?
The link between fries and depression
A study, for which Chinese scientists followed 140,728 people for 11 years, revealed some striking results. The participants did not suffer from depression during the first two years of the study, but after that the team of researchers was able to identify significant differences between people who regularly ate fried foods and those who did not:
- The fried foods diet increased the risk of depression by 7% and the risk of anxiety by 12%.
- Men and young people were most affected by the mental problems.
- Excessive consumption of fried potato products (fries, crisps, croquettes, etc.) increased the risk of depression by 2% compared to other types of fried foods.
Read also: How healthy is an airfryer?
Chemical substance acrylamide
According to the researchers, acrylamide is the culprit. Acrylamide is a substance naturally formed when foods rich in starch and asparagine – such as potatoes – are cooked at high temperatures (baking, frying, etc.). The chemical reaction is called the Maillard reaction. It is this reaction that gives food its golden color and distinctive taste.
Acrylamide was already known to be carcinogenic and genotoxic in lab animals, but the researchers say the chemical also causes neuroinflammation through lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress, leading to depression and anxiety.
Also read: Tips to reduce acrylamide when baking and frying food
Should we avoid acrylamide?
It is impossible to completely eliminate acrylamide from our diet. However, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has made a number of recommendations to limit the amount of acrylamide on our plates:
- Acrylamide levels are directly linked to the degree of browning of food during cooking. In short: the browner the fries, the more acrylamide. It is therefore advisable to let food color only slightly.
- Soaking potato slices in water or a citric acid solution before cooking can reduce the acrylamide content in potato chips by 40% or 75%, respectively.
- If you store potatoes at a temperature below 8°C, the acrylamide content rises when they are cooked.
- Try to vary your diet and cooking methods.
Read also: How to make perfect fries?
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Sources:
https://www.efsa.europa.eu
https://www.pnas.org
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
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