New study links fast food to depression

Individuals who consume greater amounts of fast food tend to have higher rates of depression, according to a new study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition. The findings suggest that poor eating habits may be linked to an increased need for a prescription to buy Paxil.

For the study, a team of Spanish researchers tracked the health of a group of just under 9,000 adults over a six-month period. The results showed that those who consumed fast food regularly were 51 percent more likely to develop depression during the study period, compared to those who rarely or never ate fast food. Eating fast food multiple times per week was linked to even higher rates.

The study's findings do not necessarily prove that fast food causes depression. After all, other factors closely associated with depression, including smoking, a sedentary lifestyle and being single, were also more common among fast food eaters.

However, the team said these other factors could not entirely explain the higher rates of depression among those who regularly ate these unhealthy meals. Eating fast food may simply be a part of overall unhealthy lifestyles that eventually lead to depression and increase the chances that a person will require a prescription to buy Paxil.