Depressed or anxious? It could be the fries you're eating
2 Min Read
According to a new study, the regular consumption of fried food comes with a 12% and 7% higher risk of anxiety and depression.
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A McDonalds employee serves French fries on December 1, 2011 in southern France. (AFP)
According to a new study, the regular consumption of fried foods, especially fries, could be causing you anxiety and depression.
The St. Louis School of Medicine at Washington University conducted a study, the findings of which suggest that diets with fried foods come with a higher risk of depression and anxiety due to a contaminant in fried foods called acrylamide.
This pollutant has been proven to cause neuroinflammation and disruption in lipid metabolism, both of which can have an impact on mental health.
Rohini Bajekal, a nutritionist and a board-certified lifestyle medicine professional at Plant Based Health Professionals divulged that the connection between food and mood is "far more complex than is sometimes reported."
“The results of this study are in line with what we would expect to see and are further confirmation of decades of research showing that fried and unhealthy foods in the standard Western diet increase the risk of common chronic diseases and mental health conditions,” Rohini says.
Fried foods are connected with greater rates of anxiety and depression because they promote inflammation in the body, which is linked to anxious and depressed feelings.
Megan Hilbert, a registered dietitian at Top Nutrition Coaching, cites the SMILES Trial, a 2017 study that found that when a control group followed an anti-inflammatory diet for 12 weeks, mental health outcomes improved significantly.
Fried foods also usually lack fiber, phytonutrients, and healthy fats which have a positive effect on brain health.
“A lack of these compounds can cause a breakdown in how the gut and the brain communicate with each other,” Hilbert stated. “Upwards of 90 to 95% of our serotonin is made in the gut, and so it’s hypothesized that imbalances in our gut microbiota influence the production of these neurotransmitters, which in turn, impacts our mood negatively.”
Bajekal suggests changing methods of cooking like poaching, stewing, steaming, and boiling, and air-frying in order to cook food more healthily.
The nutritionist also suggests a change in cooking oils like steering clear of oils with a high saturated fat content such as coconut and palm oil and instead replacing them with extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, or rapeseed oil.
