Is it True that Consuming French Fries can Lead to Higher Occurrences of Depression and Anxiety?

New research has shown that consuming fried foods, particularly fried potatoes such as french fries, may increase the risk of developing both depression and anxiety. However, experts advise that these findings should be viewed with care. According to a study published in April in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, eating fried food can lead to a 12% higher risk of anxiety and a 7% higher risk of depression, especially in young men. The cause is believed to be acrylamide, a chemical byproduct created during high-temperature frying, baking, or roasting.

Although the newest research may affect lunchtime meal planning, specialists encourage caution, emphasizing that there should be no need to abandon favourite fried snacks. Fried foods are common in Western-style diets, with previous research linking such consumption to negative health issues such as obesity, heart disease, and even cancer. The connection between fried foods and mental health has been less researched, prompting the study by researches at Zhejiang University in China.

The study utilized 140,728 people from the UK Biobank study and monitored them for around 11 years to establish linkages between fried food, anxiety and depression. Of the participants, a total of 8,294 revealed anxiety symptoms, and 12,735 showed signs of depression. Those who frequently consumed fried food were more likely to be men, smokers, and younger. They also had higher calorie intakes, lower household incomes and education levels, and less vitamin supplement use.

After examining the data while accounting for age and gender, the study found that individuals who regularly consumed fried foods, particularly potato and white meat products, were more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression symptoms. These results were more pronounced in younger men.

Although human research on the connection between fried foods and acrylamide is currently limited, animal studies indicate that exposure to the chemical can cause anxiety and depression-like behavioral changes. Although the chemical has been found to be a probable carcinogen and a potential human health hazard, research on the link between acrylamide and cancer in humans is inconclusive. Long-term exposure to acrylamide may also result in an inflammatory response in the brain and spinal cord, causing depression-like symptoms. Anxiety affects around 30% of US adults at some stage, while 16 million American adults experience depression annually.

It should be noted that acrylamide exposure markers have been discovered in the blood of up to 99.9% of the US population. People may seek to reduce their exposure to this chemical while reducing their anxiety and depression risk. Clinical psychologist and nutritional therapy practitioner, Nicole Lippman-Barile, PhD, NTP, believes that people do not need to give up all fried food after considering this data.

“There is no one food that is linked to developing depression long-term,” Lippman-Barile told Health. “Depression is a multifactorial disease with many different variables that contribute to its presentation in an individual. It’s an inaccurate and simplified narrative to say that one food is linked to depression [or anxiety].”

Beyond that, Lippman-Barile noted that the study has limitations to consider, including that the authors did not control for variables that independently affect mental health outcomes like anxiety and depression, such as economic status, smoking, BMI, and education. Not controlling for these factors doesn’t allow us to rule these variables out as potential confounders.

“While this research does raise concerns about French fry consumption, it is still preliminary, and associations don’t necessarily mean causation,” Melissa Mitri, MS, RDN, a Connecticut-based registered dietitian, told Health. “This means there could be other factors leading to an increased risk of anxiety other than solely eating French fries.”

However, “even though research is needed, we do know that an overall healthy and balanced diet filled with nutrient-dense foods and low in fried foods like french fries is beneficial for mental health outcomes,” Mitri said.

“Understanding the relationship between food and depression is very complex and very nuanced,” Lippman-Barile told Health, emphasizing that it is our overall dietary pattern that may or may not make a difference in mental health outcomes for some people, not individual foods that we may want to occasionally consume because we enjoy them.

And while experts are not convinced that, based on the current data, we need to be overly concerned about acrylamide intake and anxiety or depression, you may choose to find simple ways to reduce your exposure to these compounds.

If you are a fried foods lover and you’re concerned about your acrylamide intake, here are some simple ways to reduce the content of this chemical in your favorite dishes:

It’s also important to remember that frequent exposure to acrylamide may be linked to harmful outcomes. That means eating an occasional serving of french fries as a part of an overall balanced and healthy diet does not appear to be the single deciding factor on whether you will develop depression or anxiety.

Focusing on dietary patterns instead of single foods, and eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains while limiting fried foods and concentrated sweets appear to be your best bet when trying to support both your mental and your overall health.