Australian Deakin University study results
Frequent consumption of ultra-processed foods containing high amounts of food additives increases the risk of depression, a new study has found. Ultra-processed food refers to fast food, instant food, instant convenience food, and beverages that are low in protein and fiber and have undergone salt and sugar processing.
Dr. Melissa Lane’s team at the Food & Mood Center at Deakin University in Australia tracked and investigated the association between consumption of ultra-processed foods and depression in 23,000 adult men and women from Melbourne for 15 years.
As a result of the study, those who ate the most ultra-processed foods had a 23% higher risk of developing depression than those who ate the least. They also found that people who included 30% or more of ultra-processed foods in their daily diet had a higher risk of depression. This is the result of considering health-related factors such as smoking, education, and physical activity.
“Australians often eat ultra-processed foods, but their association with depression has never been evaluated,” said Dr Lane. At the same time, he emphasized, “Because depression negatively affects daily life, the intake of ultra-processed foods should be reduced to less than 30% per day.”
On the other hand, the fact that ultra-processed foods are harmful to health is well known through numerous studies. Last year, a research team at Suzhou University in China followed up the mortality rate of 60,298 people over the age of 40 registered with the British Biobank for 10 years.
Donga.com reporter Cho Hye-sun [email protected]
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2023-05-17 01:50:00
