Love French fries, think again. How they could leave you feeling anxious and depressed

Is there anything more comforting than eating tasty, golden French fries? Either lashed with salt or with a side of tomato sauce or doused in gravy, the fried food potato item is known around the world as comfort food.

French fries, or chips as called in the United Kingdom, has hardly ever been considered good for our physical wellbeing. But, a new study shows that the greasy, starchy item may have a negative impact on mental health.

The latest research suggests that the humble chip may actually be negatively impacting our mental health, with fried foods reportedly being linked to higher rates of anxiety and depression.

Let’s find out more.

A ‘fried’ study

A research team in Hangzhou, China in their findings published in the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America) found that frequent consumption of fried foods, especially fried potatoes, was linked with a 12 per cent higher risk of anxiety and seven per cent higher risk of depression than in people who didn’t eat fried foods.

The researchers evaluated more than 140,000 people in the United Kingdom for this study. These people were followed up for an average of 11 years to see if they showed symptoms of anxiety or depression.

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Those who said they ate at least one portion of fried food, suggesting this was a typical part of their diet, were 12 per cent more likely to have anxiety than those who ate no fried food. They were seven per cent more likely to show signs of depression.

But what is it about French fries that induce depression? Experts suspect acrylamide – the chemical substance formed when starchy foods, such as potatoes, are fried and baked at high temperatures – to be the culprit behind it. They found out that long-term exposure to acrylamide could induce anxiety and depressive-like behaviours.

This was found through another paper referenced in the study. That study had exposed zebrafish to the chemical, finding that long-term exposure had caused the fish to dwell in dark zones within the tank, a common sign of a higher anxiety level in the fish.

Moreover, the zebrafish also displayed a reduced ability to explore their tanks and socialise, as they did not swim closely with other zebrafish, even though they are known to form schools with their species.

The researchers in their paper wrote that they do not mean people should panic about the negative effects of fried foods. It is a wake-up call to reduce the intake of fried foods for better mental health and overall well-being.

However, not all food and behavioural experts agree with the study and its findings. Dr David Katz, a lifestyle medicine specialist who was not involved in the study, told CNN, “The human component of this study may indicate just what it purports: that higher intake of fried food increases the risk of anxiety/depression.”

“However, the causal pathway could just as readily go the other way: people with anxiety or depression turn to ‘comfort food’ with increasing frequency for some semblance of relief,” he added.

Other critics said it’s unclear whether eating fried foods was increasing the risk of mental health problems, or if those with symptoms were turning to them for comfort.

Anxiety and depression on the rise

The study linking fried foods to depression and anxiety comes at a time when the world is seeing a drastic rise of such cases.

For the unaware, anxiety disorders involve more than temporary worry or fear. For people with an anxiety disorder, the anxiety does not go away and can get worse over time. The symptoms can interfere with daily activities such as job performance, schoolwork, and relationships.

On the other hand, depression is a disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. You may have trouble doing normal day-to-day activities, and sometimes you may feel as if life isn’t worth living.

According to World Health Organization (WHO) data published in 2017, 284 million people across the world (3.8 per cent) suffered from anxiety and 264 million complained of depression. With COVID-19 striking the world in 2020-2021, the global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25 per cent.

Past studies have also shown that what you eat, affects your mental health. That’s because our gastrointestinal system — or what’s more commonly referred to as “the gut” — is actually very closely connected to the brain. The gut is home to trillions of living microbes that have many functions in the body, such as synthesising neurotransmitters that send chemical messages to the brain to regulate sleep, pain, appetite, mood, and emotion. Research has suggested that the foods we eat influence the health of gut microbe colonies, which subsequently influences our brains and, thus, our mental and emotional health.

A study by Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University had found that eating large amounts of ultra-processed food such as sugary drinks, processed meats, or other snack foods, was linked to more adverse mental health symptoms, including more depression, anxiety, and “mentally unhealthy days.”

Another study also revealed that late-night snacking increases levels of depression and anxiety-related moods.

So, next time you want to snack on your French fries, think again.

With inputs from agencies

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