Depression May Link To French Fried food, According To Recent Research

CNN - French fries are greasy and starchy, but they are a favorite comfort food of many.

However, eating fried food can have a negative effect on your mental health.

Researchers in Hangzhou China found that people who ate fried food, particularly fried potatoes, had a higher risk for anxiety and depression.

This link was stronger among younger men and consumers.

Fried foods have been linked to obesity, hypertension, and other health problems. These results "open an avenue in the significance of reducing fried food consumption for mental health," according to the paper published Experts in nutrition say that the results are preliminary and it is not clear if fried food was the cause of mental illness or fried food was consumed by people who were experiencing depression or anxiety.

A study links ultra-processed food to cancerous ovarian and other diseases

The study assessed 140,728 individuals over a period of 11.3 years. After excluding those diagnosed with depression in the first two-year period, 8,294 anxiety cases and 12,735 depression cases were observed in people who consumed fried foods. Fried potatoes had a higher risk of depression than fried white meat.

The study also revealed that participants who consumed more than one portion of fried foods regularly were likely to be young men.

The human component of the study could indicate what the researchers claim: that fried foods increase anxiety and depression. Dr. David Katz is a lifestyle medicine specialist, who was not part of the study.

Fried foods were linked to an increased risk of anxiety, depression, and stress.Fotografia de eLuVe/Moment RF/Getty Images

"However the causal pathway can just as easily go the opposite way: people with depression or anxiety turn to comfort food with increasing frequency to find some sort of relief," said Katz, founder and CEO of the nonprofit True Health Initiative, a global coalition dedicated to evidence-based, lifestyle medicine.

He said that those with anxiety or depression symptoms could self-medicate by eating comfort food.

As found in a previous study cited within this one, unhealthy food and poor nutrition may lower moods and worsen mental health conditions.

Zebrafish is no exception

Researchers suggest in the new study that acrylamide is responsible for anxiety and depression. This chemical is formed when potatoes are fried.

Researchers exposed zebrafish in a separate study to the chemical. They found that the fish tended to stay in dark areas of the tank after long-term exposure, which is a sign of increased anxiety in fish.

Zebrafish also showed a decreased ability to socialize and explore their tanks, since they didn't swim close to other zebrafish.

Katz explained that "Zebrafish are a good choice because they have a consistent and established behavioral response to anxiety, as well as being known to be susceptible to acrylamide toxicities." This provides dependable biological and behavioral data.

A new study shows how to eat for a longer life.

Dr. Walter Willett stated that the results should be considered as "very preliminary,", especially in relation to the link between fried foods and acrylamide.

Willett is a professor of epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health via email. "Potatoes can have a negative impact on mood, as they cause large spikes in blood sugar. The hormonal response to these spikes is also high. These surges can be blunted in part by fat. This would come from the fat that comes with frying.

Willett noted that acrylamide wasn't produced only by frying. Roasting the coffee beans and toasting the bread can produce acrylamide.

The authors also acknowledged that the data from zebrafish is difficult to translate to human health because the two species are so different.

Anxiety disorders and depression are on the rise

Yu Zhang, a researcher at Zhejiang University and author of the study told CNN via email that there was "no need to panic about the adverse effects of eating fried food." Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and reducing intake of fried foods, may also be beneficial for overall health, as well as mental health.

Researchers had noted a recent increase in depression and anxiety around the world, with 27,6% and 25,6% respectively, by 2020. The World Health Organization estimates that globally, more than 5% of adults suffer from depression.

Some people with mental illness may also crave fried foods.

Researchers compared the effects of eating fried foods in humans with acrylamide exposure to zebrafish. They concluded that consuming the chemical found in fried foods could negatively affect mental health.

Katz says that a lack of variety in food can also decrease well-being.

Katz stated that "the overall quality of diet and the choice of healthy foods is important to all aspects of health, mental and physical."

Study links cognitive decline to ultra-processed foods

Willett added that reverse causation is possible, meaning people could change their diet because of depression or anxiety. He said that these mood changes were more difficult to study than major cancers or heart attacks because they can come and go. The study for this analysis wasn't designed to deal with such challenges.