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Estimation of the nature and magnitude of mental distress in the population associated with ultra-processed food consumption
Convincing evidence supports direct associations between exposure to ultra-processed food (UPF) and risks of depressive and anxiety outcomes. However, the impacts of UPF consumption on broader mental wellbeing and functioning and the aggregate clinical burden of mental distress due to these impacts are currently unknown. This study examines the relationship between various facets of mental well-being and UPF consumption and estimates the magnitude of UPF’s contribution to adverse mental well-being outcomes.
This cross-sectional study utilized data from 400,787 respondents across 60 countries in 2023 who completed a comprehensive assessment of mental functioning, along with a broad range of life context factors, including UPF consumption frequency. The relationship between mental well-being and UPF consumption frequency was calculated while controlling for exercise, traumas, adversities, and income. Simulations based on tree-based models were employed to capture nonlinearities and cross-level interactions among 108 factors across 10 categories of life context factors. SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) values were used to estimate the contribution of UPF consumption to mental well-being outcomes.
There was a systematic decrease in an aggregate metric of mental well-being with increased frequency of UPF consumption (p < 0.001), characterized by heightened symptoms of depression and challenges with emotional and cognitive control, even after adjusting for major confounding variables such as income and trauma. Predictive models indicated that 3.4–7.8% of the global sample experienced clinical mental distress linked to UPF consumption, translating to a global UPF-associated clinical mental distress burden of 15.3–28.2%, with notably higher burdens observed in the United States and the Core Anglosphere (five major English-speaking nations—the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) compared to the global average.
This study provides the first quantitative estimate of the aggregate burden of adverse mental functioning associated with increasing UPF consumption, emphasizing the need for enhanced research and policy initiatives aimed at mitigating the mental health burden, and supporting the incorporation of UPF reduction recommendations into national dietary guidelines. [NPID: Distress, UPF, ultra-processed food, well-being, depression]
Year: 2025
