Navigation
Consumption of ultraprocessed food and risk of depression
There is mounting evidence that nutrition may affect depression risk. Despite a wealth of information connecting ultra-processed foods (UPF, i.e., appealing, energy-dense, and fast food items) with human illness, there is little research exploring the relationship between UPF intake and depression. Short-term dietary data and a limited capacity to control for possible variables have hindered earlier investigations. Furthermore, no study has shown how specific UPF elements or meals may increase the risk of developing depression or how the timing of UPF consumption may do so. In this work, Samuthpongtorn et al. (2023) looked at the potential links between UPF and its components with new cases of depression. Between 2003 and 2017, the authors conducted prospective research in the Nurses’ Health Research II among middle-aged females who were not depressed at baseline. Every four years, diet was evaluated using validated food frequency questionnaires (FFQs). Utilizing the NOVA classification, which divides meals into categories based on their level of processing, UPF consumption was calculated and further divided into its constituent parts in secondary studies, including savory snacks, ready-to-eat meals, ultra-processed grains, fats and sauces, sweet snacks, ultra-processed dairy products, processed meat, drinks, and artificial sweeteners. Furthermore, the authors looked at the relationship between changes in UPF consumption updated every four years and incident depression in an exploratory study. Analysis of the cohort demonstrated the following demographics: n = 31712 women, aged 42 to 62 years old (mean = 52 [4.7] years; 95.2% non-Hispanic White women). The authors noted that participants who consumed more UPF were less likely to exercise regularly, were more likely to be smokers, had higher BMIs, and had more comorbid conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. Participants in the top percentile of UPF consumption had a higher risk of depression than those in the lowest quintile. This finding remained significant after accounting for confounders. Age, BMI, physical activity, smoking, or other categories did not reveal differential associations within subgroups. Reverse causation was refuted by a 4-year lag study that found no appreciably different relationships. The relationship between certain UPF elements and the risk of depression was then investigated, revealing that artificial sweeteners and artificially sweetened drinks were linked to a higher incidence of depression when extreme quintiles were compared. In an exploratory study, those who decreased their daily consumption of UPF by at least three servings were at a lower risk of depression than those who maintained a reasonably consistent intake throughout each four-year period. Based on their findings, the authors comment on how consuming more UPF, especially artificial sweeteners, and drinks containing artificial sweeteners, is linked to a higher chance of developing depression. Recent experimental research shows that artificial sweeteners trigger purinergic transmission in the brain, which may be implicated in the etiopathogenesis of depression, even though the mechanism linking UPF to depression remains unclear. The authors comment on the need for further research, utilizing structured clinical interviews and diverse populations to validate current findings further. [NPID: Diet, Depression risk, ultra processed food, artificial sweeteners]
Year: 2023
