Could quitting ultra-processed food boost your mental health?

People with depression who dramatically cut ultra-processed foods experienced notable improvements in their symptoms in a small preliminary study. Researchers suspect healthier eating may benefit the brain partly by reducing gut damage and chronic inflammation. A small preliminary study from UC San Francisco adds to mounting evidence that eating fewer ultra-processed foods may help reduce symptoms of depression. Published Sept. 23 in JAMA Psychiatry, the study was funded by the National Institutes of Health. Researchers believe it is the first study to compare depression symptoms in the same participants before and after they moved from their usual ultra-processed diet to healthier foods. The pilot study included only 20 people, but senior author Andrew Krystal, MD, Ray and Dagmar Dolby Distinguished Professor in UCSF's departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Neurology, said it "successfully established the viability of carrying out this research in a larger-scale trial." Participants cut their intake of ultra-processed foods by more than 85%.

After doing so, they showed moderate to large improvements across three different measures of depression. Anxiety scores also improved modestly. Ultra-processed foods include products such as packaged snacks, fast food, sugary drinks, and other industrially manufactured foods. These products may contain ingredients including preservatives, artificial coloring, flavor enhancers, and emulsifiers. "Reducing the amount of ultra-processed food in our diet can be challenging, because