"Junk food" has dramatically increased the incidence of mental illnesses
Ultra-processed foods have increased the risk of 32 adverse health effects. These include not only physical illnesses, but also mental disorders.
Ultra-processed foods (baked goods, carbonated drinks) make up a fairly large part of the daily diet in many countries. Where income levels are high, such foods can account for up to 58% of daily energy intake.
Previous studies have linked highly processed foods to poor health. The fact is that baked goods, sugary drinks, fast food and other foods in this category undergo many industrial processes, often contain artificial additives and large amounts of sugar, fat and salt, while lacking the vitamins and fiber the body needs.
Australian scientists from Monash University, the University of Sydney, the Australian Pediatric Medical Research Institute and James Cook University conducted a comprehensive review of 45 meta-analyses from 14 review articles that linked ultra-processed foods to adverse health outcomes. All of the articles included in the review were published in the past three years and were based on data from nearly 10 million people. The results of the extensive evaluation of the accumulated evidence were published in The BMJ.
People who ate ultra-processed foods more frequently experienced a 50% increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. They were 48-53% more likely to have anxiety and common mental disorders, 22% more likely to have depression and 12% more likely to have type 2 diabetes. The risk of death from any cause increased by 21%.
Evidence that ultra-processed foods are linked to asthma, gastrointestinal disease and some cancers was considered limited by the researchers. Arguments in favor of hypotheses that "junk food" leads to high blood fats and low levels of "good cholesterol" received the same assessment.
The scientists noted that the results of the comprehensive review may have been influenced by indicators not measured by the authors of the original studies. Nevertheless, the researchers used rigorous scientific methods to evaluate the reviews and meta-analyses reviewed, and the findings withstood rigorous scrutiny.
The study authors called for state-level regulation of the amount of ultra-processed foods people eat every day. They suggested that baked goods, carbonated drinks, breakfast cereals, ready-to-eat foods and convenience foods should not be sold in hospitals and schools, and that advertising of such foods should be restricted. According to the researchers, economic measures are also needed to make unprocessed, minimally processed foods as well as freshly prepared meals as accessible as "junk food".