It’s not really comfort food — fave eats linked to depression: study

It turns out comfort foods could be making you feel a whole lot worse.

A new study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that rates of depression are 80% higher in people whose diet includes large amounts of ultra-processed foods.

The study’s authors — who hail from  Universidade Federal de Viçosa — defined ultra-processed foods as those that feature “five or more components for the exclusive use of the food industry, such as anti-humectants, emulsifiers and flavor simulators.”

Most types of chocolate, chips, ice cream, cake, pre-made meals and sodas sold at US grocery stores meet that criteria.

“The relationship between our diet and our mental health is complicated. The Brazilian research offers another important piece in the jigsaw,” Dr. David Crepaz-Keay, from the Mental Health Foundation, declared in an interview with Daily Mail.

“Our minds and bodies need a healthy, balanced diet and this is something we don’t get from ultra-processed foods alone,” he added. “Sugary snacks and caffeinated drinks can give us a temporary boost – but this is short-lived, can disrupt sleep, and has a knock-on effect on our mental wellbeing.”

For the study, researchers questioned 2,572 graduate and undergraduate students in Brazil about their eating and lifestyle habits every two years between 2016 and 2020.

Participants self-reported how often they ate 144 different types of foods — including ultra-processed foods such as frozen pizzas and chips, as well as fruits and vegetables — and how big their portions were.

They were also asked to report on their body mass index (BMI), alcohol consumption, if they smoked, how many hours of TV they watched, if they had diabetes and if they have been previously diagnosed with clinical depression. 

Over the duration of the study, 246 cases of depression were discovered. Those with depression included 66 men (27% of the cases) and 180 women (73% of the cases). 

Results were broken down into four groups in order to differentiate diets between the volunteers.

Those that had ultra-processed foods making up at least 31% of their diets daily — the worst of the diets — were up to 82% more likely to be diagnosed with depression over the course of the study, compared to people who ate the least amount of ultra-processed foods daily at less than 16%.

It’s noted that the study relied on self-reported data, so some of the information may not have completely accurate.

Additionally, one dietary expert pushed back on the findings, saying it’s impossible to truly know whether the relationship between ultra-processed foods and depression is one-way.

People who already have depression may be more likely to turn to processed foods, meaning the study does not convincingly conclude that those foods contribute to depression.

“Many of the foods that this study suggests are associated with depression aren’t ones considered to be regular components of healthy diet,” Dr. Duane Mellor of Birmingham’s Aston University told Daily Mail.

“It could be that factors linked to the depression might also lead to an individual not eating an ideal dietary pattern. Therefore, it is not possible to say ultra-processed foods are linked to depression.”

Meanwhile, recent study also found that people could be at a higher risk of cognitive decline if more than 20% of their daily caloric intake is ultra-processed foods. 

In addition to cognitive decline, ultra-processed foods can be linked to an increased risk in obesity, heart and circulation problems, diabetes, cancer and a shorter life span.