Regular French fry consumption was higher among young men and younger consumers leading to affect mental health, new studies link.
Many generations have relied on French fries as a comfort food, yet this dish is far from being nutritious. Consuming fried foods on a regular basis, especially fried potatoes, has been related to an increased risk of depression and anxiety, according to studies conducted in China. Anxiety disorders were shown to be 12 percent more common among people who regularly consumed fried foods like French fries than among those who did not. When comparing persons who did and did not eat fried meals, the risk of depression was 7 percent higher for those who did eat fried foods.
PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America) published the study's results. Younger consumers and young men were more likely to have this association. This study's findings "open an avenue in the significance of reducing fried food consumption for mental health," as the authors put it. There is, however, a major caveat to the results. Since the research results are preliminary, it is not yet known if fried foods cause mental health concerns or whether persons with mental health issues turn to fried food items, according to experts cited by the media. To put it another way, the Catch-22 question might be interpreted as follows: does anxiety or depression lead one to eat fried foods, or do fried foods lead one to feel worried or depressed? This is because comfort foods are often a coping mechanism for persons suffering from anxiety and sadness.
Over the course of more than 11.3 years, 140,728 participants were analyzed. A total of 8,294 cases of anxiety and 12,735 cases of depression were detected in people who consumed fried food, after eliminating participants diagnosed with depression within the first two years. The study also indicated that young people, especially young guys, were more likely to frequently consume more than one serving of fried food.