Nearly half the calories in the average Canadian diet come from ultra-processed foods.
That’s worrisome considering studies have linked higher intakes of these foods to a greater risk of obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, asthma, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer and premature death.
Now, new research from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health points to another good reason to cut back on highly processed foods, especially ones that contain artificial sweeteners.
Doing so, the study suggests, helps guard against depression. Here’s what to know.
What are “ultra-processed” foods (UPFs)?
Simply put, ultra-processed foods contain ingredients you won’t find in your kitchen at home.
They’re formulations of substances derived from foods along with additives used to flavour, sweeten, bleach, colour, emulsify, texturize and preserve. UPFs contains little, if any, real food.
Think chicken nuggets, snack bars, cake mixes, ice cream, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, sliced breads, frozen waffles, pretzels, soft drinks, processed meats, instant noodles, frozen French fries, frozen pizza and many more.
From a nutritional standpoint, UPFs are typically high in calories, added sugars, unhealthy fats and/or sodium. They’re stripped of gut-friendly fibre, protective phytochemicals and naturally occurring vitamins and minerals.
The NOVA food classification system, which groups all foods based on the extent of their processing, defines UPFs as formulations of ingredients, typically created by a series of industrial techniques.
The link between ultra-processed food and depression
The latest research, published last month in the journal JAMA Network Open, set out to determine the relationship between UPF consumption and the risk of developing depression.
It also aimed to learn if certain types of UPF and/or their ingredients were associated with depression risk.
To do so, the researchers followed 37,712 healthy females, ages 42 to 62 years, for 14 years. Participants did not have depression at the start of the study.
Dietary data was collected every four years to assess intake of UPF as defined by the NOVA classification.
Compared to participants with the lowest intake of UPF (fewer than four servings/day), those who consumed the most (more than nine servings/day) had a 50 per cent higher risk of developing depression during the study.
Other risk factors for depression were controlled for including age, calorie intake, body mass index, physical activity, smoking status, alcohol intake, existing heath conditions, sleep duration, social networks and pain.
The researchers estimated that reducing UPF intake by three servings a day would lower the risk of depression.
When the researchers looked at specific types of UPF and UPF ingredients, only high intakes of artificially sweetened beverages and artificial sweeteners were tied to a greater risk of depression, suggesting that artificial sweeteners drive the association between UPF intake and risk of depression.
Strengths, caveats
The study’s strong points include its large sample size, repeated diet assessments and the ability to control for a number of different potential risk factors for depression.
The researchers were also able to assess participants’ diets several years before the onset of depression, reducing the likelihood of reverse causality (i.e. depression caused participants to eat more UPF).
The study was observational meaning the findings don’t prove that UPF causes depression. They simply show a correlation.
Participants were white females, so the findings can’t be generalized to other groups of people.
Still, the current study adds to growing evidence that eating lots of UPF increases the risk of depression.
How ultra-processed food may harm
Previous research has suggested ways in which UPF can affect mental health.
A diet high in UPF may negatively influence gut microbes, resulting in a less diverse microbiome. This, in turn, can contribute to chronic inflammation.
It’s thought that inflammatory-immune compounds communicate with the brain, affecting mood and energy levels.
There’s also evidence that artificial sweeteners can impair the synthesis and release of serotonin and dopamine, brain chemicals that influence mood.
Cutting back on ultra-processed food
Unless you prepare all your meals and snacks from scratch, it’s impossible to completely avoid UPFs.
The goal is to limit their consumption. Keep in mind, the study linked UPF and onset of depression among people who consumed very high quantities.
Read ingredient lists. Avoid buying foods with long lists that include additives you’d never use at home.
Gradually replace ultra-processed foods with real ones.
Replace highly processed snacks with whole fruit, unsweetened yogurt, nuts and seeds, homemade trail mix, homemade muffins and raw vegetables, for example.
Where possible, make homemade versions of highly processed staples you rely on such as pasta sauce, salad dressings and soups.
Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based private practice dietitian, is director of food and nutrition at Medcan. Follow her on X @LeslieBeckRD
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
All orders are protected by SSL encryption – the highest industry standard for online security from trusted vendors.
Bizarre Sunlight Loophole Melts Belly Fat Fast! is backed with a 60 Day No Questions Asked Money Back Guarantee. If within the first 60 days of receipt you are not satisfied with Wake Up Lean™, you can request a refund by sending an email to the address given inside the product and we will immediately refund your entire purchase price, with no questions asked.
