Eating junk food raises risk of depression, says multi-country study

Analysis of 41 studies leads to calls for GPs to give dietary advice as part of treatment

Eating junk food increases the risk of becoming depressed, a study has found, prompting calls for doctors to routinely give dietary advice to patients as part of their treatment for depression.

In contrast, those who follow a traditional Mediterranean diet are much less likely to develop depression because the fish, fruit, nuts and vegetables that diet involves help protect against Britain's commonest mental health problem, the research suggests.