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junk food linked to anxiety, feeling more 'mentally unhealthy'

researchers have found that people who eat ultra-processed foods like cookies and cakes experience more anxiety than those who don't.

by karen hawthorne
published aug 26, 2022
last updated aug 27, 2022
read time 3 minute read
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read time 3 minute read
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can processed food affect your mental health?
fast food is one of our favourite foods. getty
all those super-convenient processed foods that you turn to for a quick meal may take a toll on your mental health, a new study has found. so it’s not just your expanding waistline and other physical symptoms that poor eating habits can lead to.
researchers at the florida atlantic university found that people who eat ultra-processed meals experience more anxiety, mild depression and “mentally unhealthy days” than those who don’t, ctv news reports.
the study, published in the journal public health nutrition, looked at data from more than 10,000 adults from the united states national health and nutrition examination survey between 2007 and 2012 to measure the connection between ultra-processed food (upf) consumption and mental health symptoms. the findings showed that people who ate the most upf had significant increases in negative mental health symptoms. in fact, they were least likely to report having days when they didn’t feel anxious or mentally unhealthy.

what are ultra-processed foods?

upfs are made mostly from substances extracted from other foods, like industrial produced oils, fats, starches, added sugars and protein isolates. they can also contain additives like artificial colours and flavours, stabilizers and preservatives that help them last. a good example is those fluffy, yellow, cream-filled twinkies, which have three dozen or so ingredients and a shelf life of about 25 days (not decades, as the urban myth suggests). other upfs include frozen meals, soft drinks, hot dogs and cold cuts, instant noodles, fast food, and packaged cookies, cakes and salty snacks, according to harvard health.

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upfs contain little to no whole food, but are highly palatable, affordable and aggressively marketed, so it’s no surprise they’re popular. and whether you eat them to excess or on a regular basis, they’re not good for you.
for the study, researchers turned to the nova food classification, which was recently adopted by the food and agricultural organization of the united nations. nova classifies foods and beverages into four groups: unprocessed or minimally processed foods, processed culinary components, processed foods, and ultra-processed foods based on how they are processed.
“more than 70 per cent of packaged foods in the u.s. are classified as ultra-processed food and represent about 60 per cent of all calories consumed by americans,” eric hecht, co-author of the study said in a release. “given the magnitude of exposure to, and effects of, ultra-processed food consumption, our study has significant clinical and public health implications.”
nova was developed by carlos monteiro, a professor of nutrition and public health at the university of sao paulo, brazil. when he wondered why the country’s rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes were on the rise despite a drop in sugar purchases, monteiro found sugar and dietary fat consumption had increased because of the industrial food products on the market.
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canadian society for exercise physiology
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what are canadians eating?

when it comes to the typical diet of canadians, a 2017 study from the university of montreal funded by the heart & stroke foundation, found that almost half of our daily calories come from ultra-processed foods. (professor monteiro was one of the study’s advisors.) the study also discovered that children between age nine and 13 consumed the most. according to a report published in 2020 in the journal applied physiology, nutrition and metabolism, canadians like chips or pretzels, cold breakfast cereal, fast food, and chocolate.
in fact, with an average 160 bars of chocolate eaten per year per person — canada is the ninth- largest consumer of chocolate in the world, one kilogram more than the u.s., says the inter-american institute for cooperation on agriculture. and while the antioxidants in dark chocolate have benefits, most regular chocolate bars in the candy section are ultra-processed and packed with “empty calories.”
while the science on the connection between ultra-processed foods and diseases, including obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer, continues to emerge, the new evidence on its impact on mental health is another reason to take a closer look at your food choices.
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karen hawthorne is a toronto-based writer.
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karen hawthorne
karen hawthorne

karen hawthorne worked for six years as a digital editor for the national post, contributing articles on health, business, culture and travel for affiliated newspapers across canada. she now writes from her home office in toronto and takes breaks to bounce with her son on the backyard trampoline and walk bingo, her bull terrier.

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