NEW STUDY: ULTRAPROCESSED FOOD CAN MAKE YOU DEPRESSED

We all know that eating ultraprocessed food can make you overweight, but did you know it can actually make you depressedĀ šŸ˜ž? Ā A largeĀ study from Harvard Medical School was just published in JAMAĀ this month! Ā This was a large cohort study on over 31,000 women age 42-62. Ā After following these women for 14 years, they concluded that the participants with a higher intake of ultraprocessed food had an increased risk of depression! Ā This was based on symptoms reported on questionnaires as well as new antidepressant useĀ šŸ’Š. Ā 

Sadly, the Standard American DietĀ šŸŸĀ is loaded in ultraprocessed foods due to convenience and palatability. The study looked at the following categories of food: ultraprocessed grain foods, sweet snacksĀ šŸ¬, ready-to-eat mealsšŸœ, fats and sauces, ultraprocessed dairy products, savory snacks, processed meat 🌭, beverages 🄤, and artificial sweeteners. Ā Can you guess which category was the worst for mood?

It turns out that artificial sweeteners and artificially sweetened beverages were associated with the greatest risk of depression. Ā 

This is no surprise as ultraprocessed foods negatively impact our gut microbiome. They cause inflammation in the lining of our gut and feed bad bacteria 🦠 and yeast to overgrow (dysbiosis).  We make 80% of our serotonin (happy brain neurotransmitter 😃) in the lining of our gut, which is why we refer to the gut as the second brain 🧠.  If our gut is unhealthy, so is our mood.  

The good news is that by cleaning up our diet and eating more phytonutrient-rich plant foods 🫐, we can restore a healthy gut microbiome and see a positive change in our mood!

Warm regards,

Rajsree Nambudripad, MD