Teenagers who eat a lot of ultra-processed foods have more difficulty with their mental health than those who prefer fresh products.
- Teens who consume more ultra-processed foods and beverages face more mental health challenges.
- This correlation is stronger in boys.
- This could be due to the fact that they consume a greater amount of ultra-processed products and less fruits and vegetables.
Biscuits, crisps, charcuterie, sodas, gummies, fast food… ultra-processed products are taking up more and more space on our plates, and more particularly on those of teenagers. This omnipresence does not only weigh on the balance, it also impacts mental health. Spanish studies show that a high consumption of industrial foods increases the risk of psychosocial disorders in young people.
Processed foods are hurting teen mental health
According to the study published in the scientific journal Nutrients, teens who consume a lot of ultra-processed foods and beverages show poor mental health. The followers of these industrial dishes suffer more from emotional distress, behavioral problems or even bad moods compared to those who eat less of them.
In detail, 26.2% of the participants had psychosocial disorders. 33.9% of these problems were related to emotional distress (depression or anxiety), 9.5% were related to attention problems and 3.9% were related to behavioral problems.
“The association between consumption of ultra-processed foods and mood and anxiety problems in adolescents is consistent with previous studies conducted on similar samples”, explains Pietro Tonini, first author of the study. For him, the relationship between the consumption of these products and the problems of attention and behavior of teenagers should be studied in more depth.
Nutrition: boys eat more processed foods
Data analysis shows that young people eat an average of 7.7 ultra-processed foods during the day, with higher consumption among boys: 8.6 processed foods against 7 for girls. In addition, there are fewer fruits and vegetables on their plates (2 servings for girls compared to 1.7 servings for boys). This represents an overall average of 1.93 servings per day “nowhere near the recommended five servings per day”note the researchers.
Regarding industrial foods, most participants declared consuming sausages, biscuits and cold cuts (50-60%), chocolate products, snacks, chocolate drinks and sauces (40-50%), or yogurts flavoured, processed breads and pastries, sugary cereals, soft drinks, industrial fruit juices and crisps (30-40%).
“The relationship between ultra-processed products and psychosocial problems is stronger in boys. This could be due to the hypothesis that they consume a greater amount of certain types of ultra-processed products, such as sugary drinks ( soft drinks, energy drinks, packaged fruit juices) and processed meats, as well as the fact that they eat less fruits and vegetables”explains Pietro Tonini in a communicated.
