This is what happens to your brain when you eat junk food!

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: We all know that junk food is bad for our waistline. It can also cause an array of mental effects – ranging from depression to hyperactivity.

Researchers say that processed foods are causing an ‘epidemic’ of mental illness.

Increased intake of junk food and takeaways, which lack vitamins and minerals, has also caused rates of mental illness and anti-depressants to spiral.

Research has shown that eating more fresh foods consistent with a Mediterranean-style diet, and eating less processed and junk food, could reverse spiralling rates of conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety and depression.

Here's why you should limit or avoid intake of junk food:

• Junk food alters brain activity that can lead to depression. This is because fast food often contains trans-fatty acids, which, besides clogging arteries, lead to depression.
• Junk food lacks essential fatty acids like omega-6 and omega-3, which are crucial for healthy brain function. Lacking of these two elements can increase the risk of attention deficit disorder, dementia and bipolar disorder and other brain-related problems.
• The lack of omega-3 fatty acids and the high content of refined carbohydrates, which can cause blood sugar fluctuations, can lead to anxiety along with depression, trembling and confusion.

When junk food is consumed very often, the excess fat, carbohydrates, and processed sugar found in it contribute to an increased risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, weight gain, and many other chronic health conditions.