Health News to Ruin Your Super Bowl Weekend

By CP News Briefs, Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Ah yes, the Super Bowl, while not a national holiday, is a time when many Americans are glued to their big screen TV's watching the game and the "one of a kind" commercials while eating junk food. But before you hit the grocery aisles to stock up on your favorite snack foods for the game this weekend, think about the choices you can make.

A recent six-year study in Spain found that diets which are high in trans fats increase the likelihood that you will become depressed by 48 percent. In the study, 12,000 volunteers had their diet and lifestyle monitored. At the beginning of the study, none of the volunteers indicated depression symptoms. Six years later, 657 of the volunteers were newly diagnosed with depression.

According to Almudena Sanchez-Villegas, the lead researcher in the study, "the more trans fats were consumed, the greater the harmful effect they produced in the volunteers."

Diets high in trans fat include the frequent consumption of pre-packaged baked goods, junk food, and fast food. In the United States, nutritionists report that nearly 2.5 percent of an Americans' typical diet, includes the consumption of high trans fat, and junk food items. Persons who consume large quantities of fish, and olive oil, however, had a lower rate of depression.

In the U.S., 15 million people suffer from depression, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.