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Junk Food..
and the negative mental health
effects you should be aware of

UWRT 1102
Kalyne Lynch

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Each and every day an individual faces a wide variety of choices in determining what foods that they are going to put into
their bodies. However, in those choices are a variety of healthy and unhealthy foods, each with its own benefits and
disadvantages. Junk food is a common choice of food for many individuals, which can have many negative implications
on their health. Typically, as a society we often focus on how junk food consumption affects our physical health, yet junk
food also affects our mental health, which is just as an important to look at. As consumers, individuals should be aware
of the various mental health effects that occur from the consumption of junk foods because these effects could pervade
into many other aspects of life. Therefore, not only should there be caution when eating these foods, but there should
also be limits to the amount of junk food intake that each person has.

(The Doctors. "Health Hazards of Junk Food." Online Video Clip. Youtube. Youtube, 25 Jun. 2013. Web. 26 Sept. 2014.)
Junk food is typically seen as food that is high in calories, high in sugar and high in fat content while containing little to
nutritional value. Junk foods may be seen in two different categories: snack food and fast food. (Magee, par. 1)
These are foods that individuals might eat every day such as french fries, chips and cookies. It is evident that many of
these junk foods are available to us on a daily basis. The United States is the nation of fast food and convenience food
which may be what drives the levels of junk food consumption to be so high.
Research has been done on some of the common reasons that individuals may choose junk food over healthier food. A
study was done in 2005-2006 that found 11 common reasons as to why an individual may choose to eat junk food (Hitti,
par. 2)
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Other researchers have found many of the similar reasons as to why an individual may choose to eat junk food. It is
typically prepackaged, already processed and relatively inexpensive (Bryan, par. 1). In essence, both Bryan and Hitti
found that convenience seems to be one of the top priorities. The United States is a high-paced society where things
such as convenience are in dire need. Therefore it only makes sense that foods that make living easier, as well as those
that take less time to prepare while tasting delicious, would draw many individuals in. This kind of thought process is
what drives many Americans to eat large amounts of junk food.
Most individuals know some of the common side effects from eating too much junk food, such as rapid weight gain, a
predisposition to getting sick, heart problems as well as a myriad of many other symptoms. Obesity is one of the main
problems that many people correlate with high levels of junk food consumption. However, this rapid and troublesome
weight gain can have a variety of effects that can affect mental health. Compared with adults that have normal weights,
individuals that have body mass indexes (BMIs) over 30, which constitutes obesity, are more likely to be diagnosed with
coronary artery disease, hypertension, stroke, high cholesterol, bad sleep, asthma and a variety of skin conditions
(Collingwood, par. 9). These types of problems can affect a persons overall level of morale, which can have many
adverse effects on their relationships at home or at work.
However, there are some other common mental health problems that are directly linked to obesity. Depression, eating
disorders, distorted body images and low self-esteem are some commonalities found within many individuals that are
obese (Collingwood, par. 11). As Fleck states in her article, Mental Effects of a Fast Food Diet, the large amounts of
weight gained from junk food can create an intense cycle that leads to anxiety, depression, stress and negative thoughts
about oneself (par. 3). Each of these effects can be extremely problematic for a variety of reasons and often they
pervade into every possible area of ones life; work, school and family. Individuals who suffer from a combination of these
problems can be put into extreme situations and therefore each of these symptoms and disorders needs to be further
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discussed.
Depression, alone, can be a devastating and life-endangering problem, depending on its levels. Typically, the more one
eats junk food, the higher the chances are of being depressed (Morris, par. 5). Clinical depression was the highest, and
therefore more likely to be found, in individuals with BMIs over 35 in a study done by the University of Wisconsin-Madison
(Collingwood, par. 12). Many individuals with depression have little to no energy, have little self-esteem or selfconfidence, lose connections with friends or family, have trouble concentrating or completing simple tasks, have little
motivation to get out of bed, along with an assortment of other problems. All of these effects can create a cycle that
continues to repeat itself, and one that is also hard to end. Depression will also affect all of the people around the
depressed individual because they will likely have to take on the extra tasks that the individual is unable to complete.
This is a clear problem for each individual with depression as well as the countless people that surround them.
Anxiety is yet another common problem associated with the consumption of junk foods. Diets high in junk food
contribute to increased levels of anxiety because of the high levels of sugar found in them which can interfere with the
bodys ability to effectively cope with stress because many of these individuals will be on high-alert to their surroundings
or they will experience panic attacks (Sack, par. 4). These types of effects will make it hard for an individual to enjoy
their life if they are constantly worried or stressed. Panic attacks can be especially problematic because the individual will
temporarily disassociate from the outside world while they experience their anxiety. Panic attacks can also include
hyperventilation, shaking and crying. Anxiety can be detrimental to ones social life because there may be a fear of
anxiety-provoking situations, they may fear having a panic attack in public or there may be an inability to enjoy the
activity because they feel anxiety throughout it. This can, once again, affect the people around the anxious individual as
well. They may be forced to tailor their activities, their behaviors or their demeanors to ensure that they do not provoke
that individual in any way. This can create a cascade of stress that affects their relationships with one another.
Eating disorders are just one more commonality found within individuals that eat junk food. Typically the general public
associates eating disorders with anorexia or bulimia, but a more recent trend has developed: food addiction. Food
addiction is a relatively new eating disorder concept that works in the same way that a drug addiction would. Sugar, fat
and salt-laden foods are biologically addictive (Hyman, par. 2). Both drugs and junk food that consist of high levels of
sugar flood the brain with the hormone known as dopamine (Sack, par. 2). Dopamine is typically regarded as the feel
good hormone because it controls the reward and pleasure centers of the brain. Individuals can develop a
neurochemical dependence to junk foods because they will feel "good" when they consume the foods because of the
dopamine release in the brain. This is what drives many individuals to crave and consume large amounts of junk food
(Bryan, par. 5). There is no official diagnosis for food addiction as of yet, but doctors typically use the same seven criteria
used for substance abuse addiction (Avena, par. 5).

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An addiction to food can create a lot of problems for an individual because it mimics that of drug abuse. There are
definitely many similiarities between food addiction and drug addiction, such as feeling pleasure when eating the foods,
continuing to eat the foods even when there are known negative effects to eating it, as well as a persistent desire for the
food (Avena, par. 5). Each of the seven criteria of food addiction demonstrates one aspect of the complex nature of the
addiction. If an individual becomes tolerant, they will often need more of that same food for satiety. They will continue to
eat junk foods, which could easily contribute to rapid weight gain. Some people may obsessively think about certain
foods, have unhealthy diets and they may be unable to cut that food out of their diets. A junk food addiction could
clearly negatively impact an individual by neurobiologically controlling their decisions, feelings and eating habits.
One of the biggest problems with becoming addicted to junk food is the feelings of withdrawal if an individual stops
eating junk foods. An individual may experience headaches, fatigue and irritability without the food (Avena, par. 6). The
psychological problem of addiction creates physiological problems that can force individuals into compromising situations.
Without the food, individuals addicted to junk food will feel negative symptoms, which will create a perpetual cycle of
reverting back to consuming those foods to stop the negative symptoms that they were experiencing. This cycle then
becomes habitual and it may become hard to break. The fear of withdrawal or the beginning stages of withdrawal will
make it so that the person feels obligated to eat the food, even if there are continued negative effects to their health.
Clearly, there are a wide variety of negative implications throughout the lives of many adults who consume too much junk
food. However, children and adolescents may also be experiencing some problems because of these types of foods as
well. Once children eat junk food, they will often crave it in one form or another for the rest of their lives. Each day that
a child eats junk food, they consume more calories and less nutrients for the rest of the day (Lewis, par. 5).

(Insider Medicine. "Children Consume Many More Calories When Eating Fast Food, or at a Restaurant." Online Video
Clip. Youtube. Youtube, 20 Nov. 2012. Web. 9 Nov 2014.)
While many adults may be negatively affected in the workplace, often the biggest problems for children come in school.
Junk food may actually limit children's intelligence and learning abilities. Children who regularly ate junk food for the first
two years of their lives later showed a decreased IQ score at the age of 8 when compared to the children who had
consumed diets that were composed of vegetables and fruits. These children had lower math and spelling scores, as well
as reduced attention spans. This same study later found that each of the children who performed poorly and had
consumed junk food all had a shrunken hippocampus. The hippocampus is involved in learning and the formation of new
memories (Furhman, par. 1-5). Another study done by the ALPACS cohort discovered that there is increased hyperactivity
in children when junk food consumption was only increased by one standard deviation (Wiles et al., 496). This will
obviously result in many problems for children. Often, hyperactive children will be subject to discipline, they will be
unable to sit still long enough to learn a lesson and they may be given negative feedback by teachers. With lowered IQ's
and a smaller hippocampus, a child may not be able to learn adequately or perform well enough in testing, which could
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create a negative chain of events (such as the inability to get into a good college) that affects them throughout the
lifespan. These problems are often complex and one small problem can lead into a chain of unfortunate repercussions
that negatively
impact
the psychological,
social
and education
well-being
of each
child.
However,
what can
be even
more worrisome
is that
these problems
may start
before
birth. Mothers that consumed large
amounts of junk food when pregnant gave birth to children that had more tantrums and higher levels of aggression.
This consumption could also be later linked to later problems with depression and anxiety (Whiteman, par. 6-7).
Therefore mothers should be much more careful with their diets when pregnant because they could be setting their
children up for a wide array of difficulties in life before they are even born. Even foods, such as refined cereals, should
be avoided because of the large amounts of sugar that is found in them. While this may be a difficult venture, it is vital
to ensuring that an infant is born both physically and psychologically well.
The research clearly shows that the consumption of junk food is a prevalent and serious problem. There are negative
psychological effects across the lifespan that continually compound upon one another. As consumers, we should each be
more aware of the foods that we put into our bodies and into our children's bodies. As consumers, we should remain
vigilant and informed about our dietary choices. The amount of junk food that an individual eats should be limited, or
even completely cut out, because it is far too detrimental to a person's psychological health. Education about the
negative psychological impacts of these foods, and their compounding nature, should continue so that the public
becomes much more informed about the true nature of these foods.

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