ArticleFrontiers in nutrition2020
Ultra-Processed Food Is Positively Associated With Depressive Symptoms Among United States Adults.
Article in Frontiers in nutrition, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06252701 (Assessing the Feasibility and Acceptability of the Reduction of Ultra-processed Foods From the Diets of a Subset of Patients With Depression - A Pilot Open Label Crossover Trial.), which is not on this map. Cited by 35 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Assessing the Feasibility and Acceptability of the Reduction of Ultra-processed Foods From the Diets of a Subset of Patients With Depression - A Pilot Open Label Crossover Trial.
Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Neurobiological insights into the effects of ultra-processed food on lipid metabolism and associated mental health conditions: a scoping review.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- Who consumes ultra-processed food? A systematic review of sociodemographic determinants of ultra-processed food consumption from nationally representative samples.Nutrition research reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Unhealthy behaviors associated with mental health disorders: a systematic comparative review of diet quality, sedentary behavior, and cannabis and tobacco use.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.Nutrients · 2022Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of Worldwide Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods: Findings and Criticisms.Nutrients · 2021Pooled it
- Association Between Dietary Inflammatory Index and Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2021Pooled it
- The risk associated with ultra-processed food intake on depressive symptoms and mental health in older adults: a target trial emulation.BMC medicine · 2025Trial
- Examining the effects of two dietary intervention approaches on disordered eating-related thoughts and behaviors in adults with moderate to moderately severe depressive symptoms.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- Association between glycemic control, mental problems and nutrition in individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus in primary care settings.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Review
- Ultraprocessed Food Consumption and Behavioral Outcomes in Canadian Children.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Ultra-processed food consumption, hedonic hunger, and sleep quality among university students: a food and nutrition literacy perspective.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Understanding the Variability of Associations Between Higher Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Self-Reported Depression Severity: A Systematic Review of Epidemiological Studies.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Ultra-Processed Food Intake as an Effect Modifier in the Association Between Depression and Diabetes in Brazil: A Cross-Sectional Study.Nutrients · 2025Article
- The Association between Ultra-Processed Foods and Depression, Anxiety and Sleep in Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study in Iran.Food science & nutrition · 2025Article
- Exploring disparities in the proportion of ultra-processed foods and beverages purchased in grocery stores by US households in 2020.Public health nutrition · 2025Article
- The interface of depression and diabetes: treatment considerations.Translational psychiatry · 2025Review
- Association between dietary vitamin B2 intake and constipation: a nationwide cross-sectional study.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- The independent and combined associations between the intake of ultra-processed foods, sedentary behavior, and depressive symptoms in young adults.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
- Food Consumption According to the NOVA Food Classification and Its Relationship with Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Women.Nutrients · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are popular in the United States. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the health impact of UPF. This study is conducted to assess the association between UPF consumption and depressive symptoms among United States adults. Data were collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2016. Dietary data were obtained through 24-h dietary recall interviews. Depressive symptoms were detected by a nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire; participants with more than 10 points were diagnosed with depressive symptoms. Results of logistic regression revealed a positive association between UPF consumption and depressive symptoms. The study suggests that UPF may increase the risk of depressive symptoms, particularly in people with less exercise.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.