Is That Cheeseburger Making You Depressed? Study Suggests High Fat Foods May Influence Mood

Scientists have blamed fatty foods for contributing to a long list of medical conditions, including heart disease, obesity and many other issues. Yet did you know that our favorite buttery-treats may also be contributing to depression, as well?

Recent findings published in the journal Biological Psychiatry show that a high-fat diet could mess around with the gut bacteria in your stomach, otherwise known as microbiome that Louisiana State University researchers believe could affect some individual's susceptibility to mental illness.

"This paper suggests that high-fat diets impair brain health, in part, by disrupting the symbiotic relationship between humans and the microorganisms that occupy our gastrointestinal tracks," said Dr. John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry, via Science Daily.

Researchers do caution though that more research is still necessary to cement a connection betweeb a high-fat diet and obesity.

However, as previously mentioned, the link between fatty foods and an increased risk of numerous health issues might be enough alone to choose a healthier diet. In the case of an increased risk of depression, it's even more of a reason to pick up a salad instead of a cheeseburger.

But remember, of course. The "F word" is not necessarily bad (at least, not the 3-letter one.) You just have to be smart about it. We need some fats to live. It's the baked potato chip, ice cream "fat" that's not good for us, otherwise known as the trans and saturated fats that we need to jump back away from in anger. Get those dangerous fats lurking in Pringles out of your diet.

But the mono- and polysaturated fats are the ones we want. They're in our fish and our walnuts and our avocados and sunflowerseeds, etc. So that's the skinny on fat. Don't be hatin'. 

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