Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

This meta-analysis expands on previous reviews by synthesizing contemporary studies on the link between ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and mental health disorders. It included 17 observational studies (n = 385,541), 15 cross-sectional and 2 prospective. The analysis found that higher UPF consumption was associated with increased odds of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Specifically, there was a 53% higher odds of common mental disorder symptoms, with separate odds ratios of 1.44 for depressive symptoms and 1.48 for anxiety symptoms. Additionally, the prospective studies showed that greater UPF intake was linked to a 22% higher risk of developing depression later. While these findings suggest an association between UPF consumption and mental health issues, further well-designed studies are needed to explore causal relationships.

Year: 2022

Reference: Lane, M. M., Gamage, E., Travica, N., Dissanayaka, T., Ashtree, D. N., Gauci, S., Lotfaliany, M., O'Neil, A., Jacka, F. N., & Marx, W. (2022). Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies. Nutrients, 14(13), 2568. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14132568

Related Studies

Association between the Japanese-style diet and low prevalence of depressive symptoms: Japan Epidemiology Collaboration on Occupational Health Study

The correlation between dietary habits and mental health has garnered increasing attention, particularly concerning the Japanese diet, which is noted for its high content of fish, soy products, and green tea. While earlier studies have hinted at a connection between Japanese dietary patterns and depressive symptoms, findings remain disparate, largely due to limited research on […]

SMILES Trail: A randomized controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression

SMILES Trail: Jacka et al. (2017) executed this 12-week, single blind, randomised controlled trial to investigate SMILES trail the efficacy of a dietary improvement program for the treatment of major depressive episodes. The intervention consisted of seven individual nutritional consulting sessions delivered by a clinical dietician. The control condition was comprised of a social support […]