Do you like breakfast cereals, pastries, chips, salty snacks or sausages? Is so, you are not alone, with more than half the calories an average person in the UK and Canada consumes coming from those and similar foods. These are termed ultra-processed foods (UPF), which means they have been significantly changed from their original state – salt, sugar, fat, additives, preservatives or artificial colours have been added (sometimes all of them).

A new study shows that individuals who report higher intakes of these types of food are more likely to report mental health symptoms like mild depression, and they can also experience more significant anxiety. The researchers sampled more than 10,000 adults in the US, with the study finding that those who consumed the most UPF had statistically significant increases in negative mental health symptoms. “These data add important information to a growing body of evidence concerning the potential adverse effects of UPF consumption on mental health,” the researchers write. 

The study adds that UPF are “industrial formulations of processed food substances (oils, fats, sugars, starch, protein isolates) that contain little or no whole food and typically include flavourings, colourings, emulsifiers and other cosmetic additives.” The researchers write that “it can be hypothesised that a diet high in UPF provides an unfavourable combination of biologically active food additives with low essential nutrient content, which together have an adverse effect on mental health symptoms.” They add that further research is needed.