Depression link to processed food

Eating a diet high in processed food increases the risk of
depression, research suggests. What is more, people who ate plenty
of vegetables, fruit and fish actually had a lower risk of depression,
the University College London team found.
Data on diet among 3,500 middle-aged civil servants was compared
with depression five years later, the British Journal of Psychiatry
reported. They split the participants into two types of diet - those
who ate a diet largely based on whole foods, which includes lots
of fruit, vegetables and fish, and those who ate a mainly processed
food diet, such as sweetened desserts, fried food, processed meat,
refined grains and high-fat dairy products. Those who ate the most
whole foods had a 26% lower risk of future depression than those
who at the least whole foods. By contrast people with a diet high in
processed food had a 58% higher risk of depression than those who
ate very few processed foods. Dr Andrew McCulloch, chief executive
of the Mental Health Foundation, said: “This study adds to an existing
body of solid research that shows the strong links between what we
eat and our mental health. “Major studies like this are crucial because
they hold the key to us better understanding mental illness.”
He added people’s diets were becoming increasingly unhealthy.
“The UK population is consuming less nutritious, fresh produce and
more saturated fats and sugars. “We are particularly concerned about
those who cannot access fresh produce easily or live in areas where
there are a high number of fast food restaurants and takeaways.”
Margaret Edwards, head of strategy at the mental health charity
SANE, said: “Physical and mental health are closely related, so we
should not be too surprised by these results, but we hope there will
be further research which may help us to understand more fully the
relationship between diet and mental health.”

For full story see article at BBC Website