UK Biobank data on 180,000 adults reveals depression risk linked to eating a lot of sugary treats such as biscuits, cakes and pastries
People with a sweet tooth are at almost a third greater risk of depression, a study shows.
Analysis of health data on 180,000 Brits has shown the health impact linked to eating a lot of added sugar in treats such as biscuits, cakes and pastries. A research team at the University of Surrey found people with a preference for sweets were 31% more likely to have depression.
They used the pioneering UK Biobank health database and applied artificial intelligence to group participants into three categories based on their diet.
These were:
- Health-conscious – prefer fruits and vegetables over animal-based and sweet foods.
- Omnivore – Likes most foods, including meats, fish, and some vegetables, as well as sweets and desserts.
- Sweet tooth – Prefer sweet foods and sugary drinks and is less interested in healthier options like fruit and vegetables.
Senior author Nophar Geifman, professor of biomedical informatics at the university, said: “The foods that you like or dislike seem to directly link to your health. If your favourite foods are cakes, sweets, and sugary drinks, then our study’s results suggest that this may have negative effects on your health. We found that the sweet tooth group are 31% more likely to have depression. We also found that the sweet tooth group had higher rates of diabetes, as well as vascular heart conditions, compared to the other two groups.
“Importantly, by using data-driven artificial intelligence methods, we were able to identify groups of people defined by their food preferences, and these groups are meaningful in that they are linked to health outcomes as well as biological markers. Processed sugar is a key factor in the diet of many, and these results are yet more evidence that, as a society, we should do all that we can to think before we eat, stressing that no one wants to tell people what to do, our job is just informing people.”
According to the British Nutrition Foundation between 9% to 12.5% of the average Brit’s calories come from free sugar – defined as sugar that is added to food or drink. Biscuits, buns, cakes, pastries and fruit pies are the biggest single contributors but together, sugary soft drinks and alcoholic drinks contribute the most to free sugar intake.
The study, published in the Journal of Translational Medicine, looked at data on participants’ blood samples, to see how their diet was linked to how their proteins and metabolites worked. Researchers described proteins as “the workhorses of the body that do everything from fighting infections to muscle contractions and thinking”. Metabolites were described as “small molecules produced during digestion and other chemical processes in the body… they can tell us a lot about how well our body is functioning.” The team identified and compared 2,923 proteins and 168 metabolites to get a clearer picture of the biological differences between the groups. One key one identified was C reactive protein which is linked to a greater risk of disease.
Professor Geifman added: “In the sweet tooth group, they had higher levels of C reactive protein, which is a marker for inflammation. Their blood results also show higher levels of glucose and poor lipid profiles, which is a strong warning sign for diabetes and heart disease.”
Unsurprisingly, the health-conscious group which consumed more dietary fibre had lower risks for heart failure, kidney diseases and stroke, while the omnivore group had moderate health risks.
The Mirror has previously visited the UK Biobank laboratory near Stockport which is home to the largest such project in the world. It stores 10 million genetic samples from 500,000 volunteers recruited in the last two decades. Each participant has provided around 10,000 forms of information from whole genome sequencing and saliva, blood and urine samples, to regular dietary surveys, cognitive tests, stress levels, FitBit readings and their full medical histories.
