超加工食品がうつ病のリスクを高めるとの研究結果 - The Guardian
超加工食品がうつ病のリスクを高めるとの研究結果
Ultra-processed food linked to higher risk of depression, research finds
Wed 20 Sep 2023 16.17 BST
米国の研究が、特に人工甘味料を含む大量の超加工食品とうつ病との関連性を見つけ出した
US study finds association between large amounts of ultra-processed food, especially artificial sweeteners, and depression
要約
大量の超加工食品、特に人工甘味料を含む飲料の摂取は、うつ症状のリスクを高めることが研究で明らかになった
これまでのデータでは、超加工食品と物理的な健康問題との関連が示されていたが、うつ症状との関連は初めての大規模な研究結果となる
米国の大規模な女性の長期健康研究のデータを使用し、主に白人の中年女性30,000人以上の食事と精神健康を2003年から2017年まで調査
1日に超加工食品を9食以上摂取する人は、4食未満の人に比べてうつ症状のリスクが49%高まることがわかった
また、超加工食品の摂取を1日3食以上減らすと、摂取量が安定している人よりもうつ症状のリスクが低くなる
人工甘味料が脳内の気分に関連する特定のシグナル分子の伝達を引き起こす可能性があるとの実験的な研究結果も示されている
一部の専門家は、この研究が示すのは、うつ症状のリスクが高まる人が人工甘味料を多く摂取する傾向があるだけで、人工甘味料がうつ症状のリスクを高める原因ではないと指摘
しかし、研究の共著者であるAndrew T Chan教授は、うつ症状の発症前に数年間の食事を評価できたことがこの研究の強みであり、うつ症状の人が超加工食品を選ぶ可能性が高いという結果だけではないと述べている
本文
Consuming large amounts of ultra-processed food, especially drinks containing artificial sweeteners, is associated with a higher risk of depression, research has found.
Despite extensive data linking ultra-processed food with physical ill health, such as strokes, heart attacks and raised blood pressure, this is the first large study to suggest that consuming ultra-processed foods and drinks, particularly those that include artificial sweeteners, could increase the instance of depression.
Using data from one of the biggest studies of women’s long-term health in the US, researchers at Massachusetts general hospital and Harvard medical school examined the diets and mental health of more than 30,000 primarily white middle-aged women between 2003 and 2017 who did not already have depression.
The authors estimated the overall extent of ultra-processed food intake as well as the type of food, such as ultra-processed grain foods, sweet snacks, ready-to-eat meals, fats and sauces, ultra-processed dairy products, savoury snacks, processed meat, beverages and artificial sweeteners.
They then compared how many women went on to develop depression against their consumption of ultra-processed food. Adjusting for other health, lifestyle and socioeconomic risk factors for depression, the research, published in US journal JAMA Network Open, found that those who consumed nine portions or more of ultra-processed foods a day had a 49% increased risk of depression compared with those who consumed fewer than four portions a day.
In addition, those who reduced their intake of ultra-processed food by at least three servings a day were at lower risk of depression than those with relatively stable intake.
“These findings suggest that greater ultra-processed foods intake, particularly artificial sweeteners and artificially sweetened beverages, is associated with increased risk of depression,” the authors concluded.
“Experimental studies have shown that artificial sweeteners may trigger the transmission of particular signalling molecules in the brain that are important for mood.”
Responding to the findings, Keith Frayn, emeritus professor of human metabolism at the University of Oxford, said: “The relationship between artificial sweeteners and depression stands out clearly. This adds to growing concerns about artificial sweeteners and cardiometabolic health. The link with depression needs confirmation and further research to suggest how it might be brought about.”
Others urged greater caution. Prof David Curtis, an honorary professor at University College London Genetics Institute, said: “The only foodstuffs which [this study] shows are associated with increased risk of depression are artificial sweeteners. Of course, this does not mean that an effect of artificial sweeteners is to increase depression risk – it is just that people with increased risk of developing depression tend to consume larger quantities of artificial sweeteners.”
But the authors disagree. Prof Andrew T Chan, chief of the clinical and translational epidemiology unit at Massachusetts general hospital and co-author of the research, said: “The strength of our study is that we were able to assess diet several years before the onset of depression. This minimises the likelihood that our findings are simply due to individuals with depression being more likely to choose ultra-processed foods.”
