Eating French fries leads to weight gain and is also said to be bad for mental health. A new study suggests there may be a link between this fast food classic and depression.
What should you eat to stay healthy? Junk food (which is also said to shrink the brain), as the name suggests, is not a slimming agent. It’s common knowledge that pizzas, fries, and burgers won’t help you become an Olympic athlete. However, French fries, in particular, of which there are sometimes fewer in the fast food store of employees, not only affect your weight. Also, the brain suffers with the admission of this delicious deep-fried meal.
The connection between French fries and depression
The hamburger’s best friend, which you can trick into getting fresh all the time, is not the best friend for your mental health. Researchers in China have been studying how eating fried foods, especially our beloved French fries, affects the brain.
They found something startling: those who consume the most fries (and fried foods) are also the most prone to depression and anxiety. CNN reported on the study:
The study evaluated 140,728 people over 11.3 years. After excluding participants: who were diagnosed with depression in the first two years, 8,294 cases of anxiety and 12,735 cases of depression were found among those who ate fried foods, while fried potatoes, in particular, had a 2% higher risk of depression than fried white meat.
Or the other way around: depression leads to junk food?
It cannot be repeated often enough: correlation does not (necessarily) mean causation. Even if the statistics are surprising, it doesn’t (necessarily) mean that eating more fries will make you anxious or depressed.
It could be the opposite! That is, people who are prone to anxiety and depression would be more likely to reach for high-fat products for the sake of their mental health. Further studies need to be conducted to confirm this causal relationship.
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