New research suggests that french fries are linked to anxiety and depression.

New research suggests that french fries are linked to anxiety and depression. 

A study, led by a team in Hangzhou, China, found that frequent consumption of fried foods, especially fried potatoes, is linked with a 12% higher risk of anxiety and 7% higher risk of depression.

This is compared to people who do not eat fried foods.

The data shows that the link is also more pronounced among young men and young consumers in general. 

The study, published on Monday in the journal PNAS, evaluated 140,728 people over 11.3 years. After excluding people who became diagnosed with depression within the first two years, a total of 8,294 cases of anxiety and 12,735 cases of depression were found in those that consumed fried food.

Fried potatoes were also specifically found to have a 2% increase in risk of depression compared to fried white meat, such as chicken.

The researchers suggest that acrylamide, a chemical formed during the frying, could be blamed for the higher risk of anxiety and depression. They say that the findings “open an avenue in the significance of reducing fried food consumption for mental health and provide evidence to understand acrylamide-triggered anxiety and depression”.