Not only is fast food bad for your physical health but there is mounting scientific evidence that eating fast food and baked goods has been linked to an increased chance of damaging a person’s mental health.
The study by the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of Granada in Spain found people who consume fast foods on a regular basis are are 51% more likely to develop depression, according to PsychCentral.
The study followed 8,684 people without any depression or mental illness for six months but after eating the above described junk food 493 of the people ended up depressed and medicated.
The results also showed that those participants who ate the most fast food and commercial baked goods were more likely to be single, less active and have poor dietary habits such as eating less fruit, nuts, fish, vegetables and olive oil. People in this group are also likely to smoke and work over 45 hours per week.
This study is not the first to connect hamburgers, fries and donuts to poor mental health. The Mayo Clinic has previously cited a British study that tied junk food to symptoms of depression in middle-age people.
