If you are reaching for some fries right now, apparently it may have a negative impact on your mental health. Fried foods overall may be a contributing cause of depression.

According to CNN, a research team in Hangzhou, China, found that frequent consumption of fried foods, especially fried potatoes, was linked with a 12% higher risk of anxiety and 7% higher risk of depression than in people who didn’t eat fried foods. The link was more pronounced among young men and younger consumers.

Fried foods are obvious risk factors for obesity, high blood pressure and other health effects. These results “open an avenue in the significance of reducing fried food consumption for mental health,” according to the paper published on Monday in the journal PNAS.

However, the nutrition experts have stated that the results are preliminary. There is no clear indication whether the fried foods were driving mental health issues, or people experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety.

The study evaluated 140,728 people over 11.3 years. After excluding participants diagnosed with depression within the first two years, a total of 8,294 cases of anxiety and 12,735 cases of depression were found in those that consumed fried food, while specifically fried potatoes were found to have a 2% increase in risk of depression over fried white meat. 

The study had also found that the participants consuming more than one serving of fried food regularly were more likely to be younger men. 

Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/24/health/fried-food-anxiety-depression-risk-wellness/index.html