In a large Chinese study involving over 140,000 people, researchers found that fried food, and fried potatoes in particular, can be linked to anxiety and depression, reports CNN. The food had a particularly big impact on younger people – and especially younger men. The study, which went on for just over eleven years and has now been published in the scientific journal PNAS, shows that the risk of anxiety increases by 12 percent and for depression by 7 percent compared to people who did not eat fried food. Cancer-causing chemical The researchers believe that it is the cancer-causing chemical acrylamide, which is formed during the frying process, that is the culprit in the drama. The study also used experimental animals – zebrafish – that were exposed to acrylamide, which caused them to withdraw at the same time as they had a reduced desire to explore their surroundings and swim with other zebrafish – signs that are common in depression and anxiety in particular. The researchers emphasize, however, that the results are preliminary and that it is unclear whether the psychological problems arise because of the food or whether it is people who are already unwell who eat more “junk food”. The study also found that the participants who consumed more than one portion of fried food regularly were often younger men.
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