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The Association of Ultra-Processed Food Consumption With Adult Mental Health Disorders: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of 260,385 Participants Publisher Pubmed



Mazloomi SN1, 2 ; Talebi S3 ; Mehrabani S4 ; Bagheri R5 ; Ghavami A4 ; Zarpoosh M6 ; Mohammadi H3 ; Wong A7 ; Nordvall M7 ; Kermani MAH8 ; Moradi S9
Authors
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Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. The Health of Plant and Livestock Products Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
  2. 2. Food and Drug Administration, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
  3. 3. Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutritional Science, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
  4. 4. Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  5. 5. Department of Exercise Physiology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
  6. 6. General Practitioner, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS), Kermanshah, Iran
  7. 7. Department of Health and Human Performance, Marymount University, Arlington, VA, United States
  8. 8. Clinical Tuberculosis and Epidemiology Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NRITLD), Masih Daneshvari Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  9. 9. Nutritional Sciences Department, School of Nutritional Sciences and Food Technology, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran

Source: Nutritional Neuroscience Published:2023


Abstract

Objective: We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies examining the relationship between ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and the risk of mental health disorders. Methods: The ISI Web of Science, PubMed/MEDLINE, and Scopus databases were searched without date restriction until 28 December 2021. Data were extracted from 26 studies, including 260,385 participants from twelve countries. Risk ratios for mental health disorders were pooled by a random-effects model. Results: Meta-analyses suggested that UPF consumption was associated with an increased risk of depression (RR = 1.28; 95% CI: 1.19, 1.38; I2= 61.8%; p = 0.022) but not anxiety (RR = 1.35; 95% CI: 0.86, 2.11; I2= 77.8%; p = 0.198). However, when analyzed for the dietary assessment method, UPF consumption was significantly associated with an enhanced risk of depression among studies utilizing food frequency questionnaires (RR = 1.31; 95% CI: 1.21, 1.41; I2= 60.0%; p < 0.001) as opposed to other forms of dietary recall approaches. Additionally, for every 10% increase in UPF consumption per daily calorie intake, 11% higher risk of depression (RR = 1.11; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.17; I2= 88.9%; p < 0.001) was observed among adults. Dose-response analysis further emphasized a positive linear association between UPF consumption with depression risk (p-nonlinearity = 0.819, p-dose-response = p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that UPF consumption is related to an enhanced depressive mental health status risk. There may be different causes for this increased risk, and further studies are needed to investigate if there is a causal relationship between consumption of UPF and mental health. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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