About 60% of the calories consumed in the average American diet come from highly processed foods. We know that the consumption of these packaged products, such as breakfast cereals, frozen meals and sweets packaged foods, is associated with unwanted health outcomes such as increased risk of diabetes, obesity and until cancer.
Recent studies also reveal a major drawback of these tasty and convenient foods: they seem to have a significant impact on our mental health.
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Over the last ten years, studies have consistently shown that there is a link between consumption of ultra-processed foods and increased odds of experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety.
What's more, some research suggests there's a link between eating these foods and a higher risk of cognitive decline, which is even more concerning.
These findings highlight the importance of considering not only physical effects, but also mental and cognitive health impacts when choosing our food. Understand the case!
The relationship between ultra-processed food and mental health
Recent research has provided evidence of the link between highly processed foods and depressed mood.
A study carried out in 2022 with more than 10 thousand adults in the United States revealed that the more ultra-processed the participants consumed, the more likely they were to report symptoms of mild depression or feelings of anxiety.
doctor Hecht, the study's author, noted that there was a significant increase in days of compromised mental health among those who got 60% or more of their calories from ultra-processed foods.
While this evidence does not prove a direct causal relationship, it strongly suggests an association between the consumption of these foods and negative impact on mental health.
In 2009, researchers from the University of São Paulo (USP), from the team of researcher Eurídice Martínez, developed a food rating scale that divides foods into four categories: in natura and minimally processed, processed and ultra-processed.
This classification has been widely adopted by nutrition researchers around the world.
The foods in natura and minimally processed are those that are in their natural state or have undergone minimal processing, such as fruits, vegetables, rice and flour. Processed foods include items such as butter, oils, dairy products, sugar, canned foods, and more.
On the other hand, ultra-processed foods are those that contain ingredients little used in homemade recipes, such as high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, protein isolates and a series of chemical additives, such as dyes, artificial flavors, usually with very few characteristics natural.
How to contain the negative effect?
Recent research suggests that a healthy diet can help mitigate the negative effects of eating unnatural foods. By the way, reducing the consumption of ultra-processed products is a great evolution.
A study conducted by Brazilian researchers found that following a healthy diet such as the MIND diet, which includes foods such as whole grains, vegetable leafy greens, vegetables, nuts and other typically natural products significantly reduced the risk of dementia associated with food consumption ultra-processed.
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