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Depression may be link to processed food

Research suggests that eating a diet high in processed food increases the risk of depression.

The University College London team also found that people who ate plenty of vegetables, fruit and fish actually had a lower risk of depression,.

Data collected on diet among 3,500 middle-aged civil servants was compared with depression five years later. The results indicate that the UK population is consuming less nutritious, fresh produce and more saturated fats and sugars

The research testing was split into two types of diet, those who ate a healthy diet largely based on whole foods, which includes fruit, vegetables and fish, and those who ate a mainly processed food diet, such as sweetened products, fried food, processed meat, refined grains and high-fat dairy products.

Those who ate the most whole foods had a 26% lower risk of future depression than those who at the least whole foods.

In contrast people with a diet high in processed food had a 58% higher risk of depression than those who ate very few processed foods.

Although the researchers cannot rule out the possibility that people with depression may eat a less healthy diet they believe it is unlikely to be the reason for the findings because there was no association with diet and previous diagnosis of depression.

The study was the first to look at the UK diet and depression.

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