Think twice before eating french fries, study shows

Frequent consumption of fried foods, with special mention of french fries, is associated with a 7% increased risk of depression and a 12% increased risk of anxiety. So says a study conducted by researchers at Zhejiang University in China.

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The work has been published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). 140,728 people were analysed, with information available at UK Biobank, a UK health bank.

More findings from the potato chips study

Young adults were more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression, as they consumed it more frequently. Looking at the total number of members, a total of 8,294 cases of anxiety and 12,735 cases of depression were detected in fried food consumers.

In addition, fried potato consumers had a 2% increased risk of depression compared to fried white meat eaters.

The cause of the problem is acrylamide. It is a chemical that appears in starchy foods when exposed to high temperatures such as frying.

An experiment was carried out on zebrafish, where the researchers noted that contact with the substance is responsible for inducing neuroinflammation and disorders of fat metabolism.

To reach this conclusion, the scientists observed that acrylamide impaired the exploration and social communication ability of zebrafish, which is indicative of anxious and depressive behaviors.

So, the fish started swimming away from others of the same species and started going to the darker parts of the tank.

“Together, these findings, both epidemiologically and mechanistically, provide strong evidence to unravel the mechanism of acrylamide-induced anxiety and depression and highlight the importance of reducing consumption of fried foods for mental health,” the conclusion read.

Should I stop eating french fries?

There are no major problems with eating once in a while. Obviously, if you want to live a healthier life, you should avoid them as much as possible. In general, the study warns to reduce the consumption of fried foods. Therefore, you should not focus solely on French fries, despite the fact that they are one of the most prominent foods.