High ultra-processed food consumption is associated with elevated psychological distress as an indicator of depression in adults from the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study

Lane, Melissa; Lotfalian, Majid; Hodge, Allison; O’Neil, Adrienne; Travica, Nikolaj; Jacka, Felice N.; Rocks, Tetyana; Machado, Priscila Pereira; Forbes, Malcolm; Ashtree, Deborah N.; Marx, Wolfgang

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2023.04.124

Cited by 13 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…The increasing share of ultra-processed foods in household food expenditures/energy intake is a significant personal and public health concern because intake of these foods has been linked to a higher risk of multiple diseases and disorders, both infectious and non-communicable, and excess mortality [90][91][92][93][94][95]. In addition, a higher intake of ultraprocessed foods has been linked to psychological distress, sleep disturbances, and mental disorders, including depression and anxiety [23][24][25][26]96,97]. We will address the potential neuropsychiatric consequences of ultra-processed foods in more detail below.…”

Section: The Rise and Rise Of Ultra-processed Foodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is our contention that the sense of urgency to "radically transform" global food systems [21,22] for the "great protein transition" to plant-derived sources [22] has unwittingly facilitated the emergence of ultra-processed foods and novel commercial products that include ingredients that may compromise health. Considering the emerging evidence that these ultra-processed food dietary patterns (including macronutrients, micronutrients, and dietary additives) impact neuropsychiatric outcomes [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34], we approach our discussion from the perspective of mental health. At the outset, we underscore that throughout human history, various forms of food processing have been an essential contributor to human welfare, and there is little doubt that solutions to the problems of over/undernutrition, within the context of sustainability, will involve the expertise and cooperation of the food industry [35,36].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Beyond Plants: The Ultra-Processing of Global Diets Is Harming the Health of People, Places, and Planet

Prescott

D’Adamo

Holton

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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Global food systems are a central issue for personal and planetary health in the Anthropocene. One aspect of major concern is the dramatic global spread of ultra-processed convenience foods in the last 75 years, which is linked with the rising human burden of disease and growing sustainability and environmental health challenges. However, there are also calls to radically transform global food systems, from animal to plant-derived protein sources, which may have unintended consequences. Commercial entities have moved toward this “great plant transition” with vigor. Whether motivated by profit or genuine environmental concern, this effort has facilitated the emergence of novel ultra-processed “plant-based” commercial products devoid of nutrients and fiber, and sometimes inclusive of high sugar, industrial fats, and synthetic additives. These and other ingredients combined into “plant-based” foods are often assumed to be healthy and lower in calorie content. However, the available evidence indicates that many of these products can potentially compromise health at all scales—of people, places, and planet. In this viewpoint, we summarize and reflect on the evidence and discussions presented at the Nova Network planetary health meeting on the “Future of Food”, which had a particular focus on the encroachment of ultra-processed foods into the global food supply, including the plant-sourced animal protein alternatives (and the collective of ingredients therein) that are finding their way into global fast-food chains. We contend that while there has been much uncritical media attention given to the environmental impact of protein and macronutrient sources—meat vs. novel soy/pea protein burgers, etc.—the impact of the heavy industrial processing on both human and environmental health is significant but often overlooked, including effects on cognition and mental health. This calls for a more nuanced discourse that considers these complexities and refocuses priorities and value systems towards mutualistic solutions, with co-benefits for individuals, local communities, and global ecology.

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Section: The Rise and Rise Of Ultra-processed Foodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond Plants: The Ultra-Processing of Global Diets Is Harming the Health of People, Places, and Planet

Prescott

D’Adamo

Holton

et al. 2023

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…37 The NutriNet-Santé cohort in France has also reported similar results, and it has been suggested that the consumption of UPFs may be associated with increased risk of depressive symptoms among participants from the US, UK, Brazil, Italy, and Australia. [14][15][16][17]38,39 However, previous studies have focused on a single disease stage and neglected the assessment of the possible impact of UPF consumption on different transitional stages throughout disease progression. On the other hand, a recent meta-analysis assessing associations between UPF intake and mental disorders demonstrated that UPF consumption was associated with a higher prevalence of anxiety (OR: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.37-1.59, P < 0.001).…”

Section: Food and Function Papermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…13 A growing body of literature suggests that UPF consumption has increased the incidence of common mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety. [14][15][16] According to the recent meta-analysis, UPF consumption was cross-sectionally associated with increased odds of depression and anxiety. 17,18 In addition, the analyses from the Whitehall II cohort found that participants in the top quintile of UPF intake had 31% higher odds of recurrent depression compared to participants in the other four lowest quintiles of UPF.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association of ultra-processed food consumption with incident depression and anxiety: a population-based cohort study

Sun

et al. 2023

Food Funct.

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“…The scientific literature has explored the association between ultra-processed foods and mental health in adults 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 and adolescents 18 , 19 . Studies have suggested that the consumption of ultra-processed foods may be associated with mental disorders 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Common mental disorders in Brazilian adolescents: association with school characteristics, consumption of ultra-processed foods and waist-to-height ratio

Gratão,

Silva,

Rocha

et al. 2024

Cad. Saúde Pública

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Half of all mental health problems diagnosed in adulthood have their onset before or during adolescence, especially common mental disorders (CMD). Thus, it is relevant to study the factors associated with these disorders. This study aimed to investigate the association of school characteristics, consumption of ultra-processed foods, and waist-to-height ratio with the presence of CMD in Brazilian adolescents. This is a school-based, cross-sectional study that analyzed data from 71,553 Brazilian adolescents aged 12-17 years. The prevalence of CMD in these adolescents was 17.1% (cut-off point 5 for the General Health Questionnaire-12). Associations were estimated using multilevel logistic models, with the presence of CMD as the dependent variable. The final model, adjusted for non-modifiable individual variables, modifiable individual variables and family characteristics, identified a positive association between private-funded schools (OR = 1.10; 95%CI: 1.07-1.14), advertisements for ultra-processed foods (OR = 1.13; 95%CI: 1.09-1.17), the second to fourth quartiles of ultra-processed food intake and waist-to-height ratio (OR = 2.26; 95%CI: 2.03-2.52). This study demonstrated that the private-funded schools , the presence of ultra-processed food advertisements, the consumption of ultra-processed food, and an increased waist-to-height ratio are risk factors for CMD in Brazilian adolescents.

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High ultra-processed food consumption is associated with elevated psychological distress as an indicator of depression in adults from the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study

Cited by 13 publications

References 69 publications

Beyond Plants: The Ultra-Processing of Global Diets Is Harming the Health of People, Places, and Planet

Beyond Plants: The Ultra-Processing of Global Diets Is Harming the Health of People, Places, and Planet

Association of ultra-processed food consumption with incident depression and anxiety: a population-based cohort study

Common mental disorders in Brazilian adolescents: association with school characteristics, consumption of ultra-processed foods and waist-to-height ratio

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