Chemical Imbalance and Depression

By: Justin Hall

Depression and chemical imbalance are often seen as going together like milk and cookies. There's just no way to have one without the other. It's a persistent, repetitive belief by so many ranging from doctors to textbooks and even advertised on TV, print and social media. However, this perception is not always reality.

The term "chemical imbalance" is thrown around so often that it becomes blurred. It ultimately serves as such as a bland interpretation to a much bigger problem without any clear explanation. Ultimately, despite decades of enormous, detailed research, there is still no real comprehension on the concept of depression. When looking into why, certain manifestations are abandoned and others are exaggerated.

Even if some calculations were exact, the illness of depression has a plethora of complications that are so intricate such as tiny particles in the mind. These particles are combined with other factors such as genetics, environment, personality conflicts and other contributing conditions that generate the disorder. 

Joshua Herrington, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Georgia Southern University points out the complexities of studying the correlation between chemical imbalance and depression using all of the aforementioned factors.

"Depression is a complex and dynamic pattern involving at the very least a brain within a body, within an environment," said Dr. Herrington. "Classic models of typical and atypical behavior have relied on a concept called reductionism, where the whole can be explained by the sum of its parts."

Dr. Herrington also states that while there has been significant progress, doctors and psychiatrists still cannot quite get down to the root of what ultimately causes the link between the depression and imbalances.

"We have come a long way in recent years, and our understanding of mental illnesses like depression is that they are dynamic, complex and have no root cause, thus making reductionistic attempts to determine causality and treatment ineffective."

Serotonin is a chemical that carries messages between nerve cells in the brain and throughout the human body. It is also a key factor in body functions such as moods in people. It also plays a role in other purposes such as eating, sleeping and even healing when we've been physically hurt.

Dopamine is another similar chemical which is described as a "feel-good" hormone that gives human beings a sense of pleasure. Dopamine gives us the necessary motivation of doing something when we feel pleasure. 

Dr. Ryan Couillou, another assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Georgia Southern University believes that when there is little to none of serotonin, it can play a tremendous factor in contributing to depression. 

"Low serotonin is implicated in depression," said Dr. Couillou. "There is involvement of other neurotransmitters in regulating mood such as dopamine, but this relationship is more related to manic episodes or with psychotic features." 

Neurons are a concentrated cell that transmits nerve impulses. They are the basic units of the brain's information system. They consist of a cell body, dendrites and axons. Neurons are also responsible for sending and receiving transmitters like serotonin. 

There are a series of neurotransmitters that play a role in our moods. Specifically, serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine.  These are linked to various emotions. Serotonin is linked to emotions such as happiness and depression. Dopamine is linked to emotions such as attention-seeking behavior as well as a reward system processing. Norepinephrine triggers anxiety, fear and anger. 

To treat the varying emotions and keeping them in check are antidepressants known as SSRIs. These drugs are commonly prescribed and ease symptoms of moderate to severe depression. They are also relatively safe and cause fewer side effects than any competition. SSRIs help by increasing the level of serotonin in our brains producing happiness. SSRIs are also useful in treating anxiety disorders. 

SNRIs are similar medications that also play roles in treating depression as well as anxiety and even nerve pain. However, SNRIs also can also postpone serotonin and norepinephrine from engulfing in the brain. Making sure these two neurotransmitters are crucial in elevating moods and finding release from depression.

However, despite the psychopharmacological advancements that have been made to determine what is best for people in treating depression, other professionals strongly encourage and recommend alternatives such as psychotherapy before finally settling on medication to relieve them.

Dr. Lindsey Stone, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Georgia Southern University encourages this philosophy.

"Always try psychotherapy first because the treatment is just as high as the meds," said Dr. Stone. "You're likely to maintain your gains versus those who go off their meds and like to relapse and become depressed again." 

Other myths that relate to these neurotransmitters and depression is that depressed people didn't create enough serotonin which is false. A current study shows that it is a lack of sensitivity with neuron receptors. 

 

1 in 8 Americans over 50 show signs of food addiction

By: Juquetta Reynolds

According to a poll published in January 2023, one in eight Americans between 50-80 show signs of food addiction. The poll was conducted by the National Poll on Healthy Aging at the University of Michigan.

There were 2,163 participants surveyed online or via phone. A modified version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale, named Yale Addiction Scale 2.0, was used to rate their addiction. The Yale Food Addiction Scale was created by Ashley Gearhardt, a University of Michigan psychologist, to specifically assess the signs of addictive-like eating behavior. Gearhardt said 13 questions were chosen because they map out the diagnostic criteria for substance abuse disorders that are used to diagnose substance addictions. The original version uses 25 questions.

“Questions like loss of control over intake, withdrawal, intense cravings. In this case, we apply them to the intake of highly processed foods (e.g., cookies, candies, fast food, soda, salty snacks),” Gearhardt said. 

The participants were asked to report on their experiences with sweets, starches, salty snacks, fatty foods and sugary drinks within the past year. Any other foods that don’t fall in those categories, but caused difficulty for the participant, was included as well.

Out of the 13 questions, these are the three most participants experienced:

·         I had such strong urges to eat certain foods that I couldn’t think of anything else. 24% reported this occurred once a week.

·         I tried and failed to cut down on or stop eating certain foods. 19% reported this occurred two to three times a week.

·         If I had emotional problems because I hadn’t eaten certain foods, I would eat them. 17% reported this occurred once a week.

The poll implicates highly processed foods can be addictive because of the release of dopamine triggered in the brain at levels that can be compared to nicotine and alcohol. The cravings can be hard to resist and could cause withdrawals.

More than one in ten of the participants met the criteria for food addiction. 27% of participants self-reported as overweight. The stigma that eating unhealthily will make you overweight is not true for everyone. Weight gain is not the only concern of ingesting the foods frequently. Nutrition-poor diets can lead to chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

The poll found 18% of women age 50-64 were more likely to meet criteria for food addiction to highly processed foods versus 8% in men. Of the women, 43% self-reported having fair/poor mental health. Of the men, that number was almost half at 23%.

Food addiction can be identified by a health care professional using the Yale Food Addiction Scale during health care visits.

ChatGPT: How AI Is Closer Than You Think

The year is 2004 and I, Robot just landed in theaters. "Wow, is this what the future will really be like," is a question I bet most people had. 

While the answer isn't yes (yet), we are getting closer to to it. 

ChatGPT is the newest technological advancement out of California and has already made an impact. 

The AI chatbot was developed by OpenAI, a startup company based in San Francisco. OpenAI was founded in 2015 while the beginnings of ChatGPT began in 2018.

Often compared to the likes of different search engines such as Google or Bing, ChatGPT is slightly different from the others. 

When using the AI, it responds more conversationally, understanding what users intend to get across in their messages while also giving human like answers. 

"It feels more interactive," Professor Wang said. "With Google I don't get that feeling." He had used the program a few times before. 

There have been 3 different versions of GPT (Generative Pre-Train) since 2018. GPT-3 having been the latest one coming out in 2020. 

While they've had a few years to work on the model, they are still relatively new to the field. Although this is the case, they are the largest language model ever created.

However, they are still hammering out some kinks in the model. Users have reportedly undergone some errors while interacting with the AI. Some have experienced historical inaccuracies, biases and more. 

ChatGPT is also experiencing some limitations in the amount of information it holds. The database is limited, only going up to 2021. 

In the classroom it may also provide some hiccups for teachers as well. 

Dr. Simhan believes that it actually won't change much just yet. 

"Cheating has been around for a while," the professor said. "I gave it one of my problems to solve and it couldn't do it, so I'm not too worried."

ChatGPT is capable of writing things like papers, as students on TikTok have shown. 

The program is still free to the public as developers continue to work out the kinks. 

Procrastination is more serious than we thought: The negative health effects

By: Nakya Harris

Grayson Hill, a junior mechanical engineering major, is a procrastinator. You can find her completing small tasks in order to avoid completing school-related assignments. 

“Usually when there is something I have to do, I will leave it until the last possible moment when I think I can get it done,” Hill said. 

Hill often listens to music or hangs out with her friends in order to avoid assignments. She reminisced on a time that her procrastination got the worst it has ever been. According to Hill, she knew at the start of the semester that she had a huge project to complete, which involved a 12-page paper. The 12-page paper needed to include diagrams, a test that she had to run and a presentation. She waited until 8 p.m. the night before it was due to get started on it. She had to present the project at 10 a.m. the next day.  This is a common occurrence when it comes to all of her smaller assignments. However, she still continues to be an A and B student.

When procrastinating, she says she feels so stressed to the point where she cannot get started on a task. Hill also deals with anxiety, depression, stress and loneliness. Hill may be suffering from the negative health-related side effects that come along with being a procrastinator. 

New Studies Show:

The study of procrastination relating to health has gone ignored for many years. According to Sciencenews.org, scientists linked procrastination to an array of poor outcomes. Fred Johansson, a psychologist at Sophiahemmet University, and his team conducted a study on university students. The research tied procrastination to physical inactivity, poor sleep quality, stress, anxiety, depression, disabling arm pain, loneliness, and economic difficulties. 

“It’s the anticipation that leads to avoidance and avoidance, in turn, is going to maintain and build distress,” Lindsey Stone, a psychology professor at Georgia Southern University said.

According to a journal article published in 2020 by the Current Psychology Journal, anxious individuals are often preoccupied with the fact that an unwanted situation will occur in the future. These individuals often indulge in experiential avoidance and often avoid the situation that causes anxiety.

“If someone has a problem with procrastination it can definitely contribute to feeling like they are not at the best mental-health place,” Angela Landers, assistant director of community and engagement for the Counseling Center at Georgia Southern University said.

Landers explains that stress is like a continuum. When an individual starts to feel stressed or overwhelmed, they move up the continuum. The individual no longer feels just stressed but also feels anxious. Continuing to move up the continuum, an individual can feel so much anxiety to the point where it almost feels like panic. When it comes to procrastination, it has the most detrimental effects. Procrastination can cause forms of anxiety, stress, or panic on that continuum. 

According to Stone, procrastination can not only affect mental health but can affect an individual’s physical health. When procrastination causes an individual to go into a state of anxiety or worry, it puts the sympathetic nervous system into overdrive. When that happens, it suppresses the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for immunity. University students getting sick after finals week would be an example of this. 

Stone and Landers both agree that in order to overcome procrastination, focusing on getting started on the task at hand and setting goals are the most important part. Breaking up the assignment into smaller daily tasks decreases the urge to procrastinate. 

Grayson’s Progress: 

Recently, Grayson Hill has been using the reward system to get her work done. For example, if she finishes an assignment on time, she is allowed to hang out with her friends. When asking her how she is doing mentally, she said she is doing a lot better.

“My mental health is much better this semester. However, I still deal with loneliness,” Hill said. “I am no longer occupying my free time with those small tasks.”

It takes time for it to all fall in place. Getting over procrastination is a process, according to Landers. 

Food War: The battle between aging and maintaining a healthy relationship with food

Food War: The battle between aging and maintaining a healthy relationship with food

By: Isabella Kicklighter

A new poll suggests that 1 in 8 Americans over the age of 50 are indulging in the next big addiction, food. 
The U-M poll found that 13% of Americans, between the ages of 50-80 years old, showed signs of addiction to foods and beverages commonly referred to as “Junk Food.” The poll also suggests that more women are affected by this addiction than men.
Suzi White, a 57 year old who lives in SouthEast Georgia, finds herself frequently indulging in these junk foods at night sitting on the couch after a long day of work. “Now that I think about it, every night instead of drinking my parents would eat chocolate and potato chips and I do the same thing,” said White.
When told about the results from the poll White was not surprised and said that to combat stress she often turns to food for comfort. “I try to keep bad foods out of my house but when they're there I undoubtedly reach for them,” said White.
 When humans consume sugary and starchy foods like chocolate with potato chips it actually increases the amount of serotonin created which then makes a person feel calmer and decreases the impact of stress hormones. Similar reactions are mimics with other addictive substances.
Addiction is a scary word but in order for a substance, like junk food, to meet the criteria for an addiction, participants in the poll had to report experiencing at least two of the 11 symptoms of addiction after consuming highly processed food.
“Highly processed foods consist of salt, sugars, and fats, which can cause an increase of dopamine in the brain. This makes people have the feeling of cravings,” said registered dietician, Pamela Hoffsetter. Hoffsetter explained that overall health already declines with age and must be maintained with a reasonable diet, regular exercise and sleep. “Healthy habits are a big part of improving life and can help to steer people away from reaching for unhealthy things like chips or candy,” said Hoffsetter. 
Hoffsetter advises individuals on how they can create easy, healthy lifestyles that meet the unique needs of their life. Advising to slow down and really think about one's health and working to implement good practices into daily life. 
Kimberly Emanuel, age 54, did just that, slowed down when her life turned upside down. At age 44 Emanuel exercised daily running for miles but that did not stop her southern living diet from making her have a heart attack. “It put my mortality into perspective, the cardiologist said it was probably due to my high cortisol levels caused by my southern fried diet from childhood into adulthood,” said Emanuel. 
Cortisol is a stress hormone and when increased in the body it can make the body highly stressed, making the idea of reaching for junk food more appealing as the body seeks a dopamine rush from the sugars and fats.
Cortisol can even make someone gain weight or hold onto existing weight. In other words, high stress levels can make a person gain weight.
Emanuel had to change and quickly. She turned to studying about healthy foods and how to reduce her stress levels in a way that would be productive. She began a lifestyle that she keeps up with to this day. “I have been meal prepping for the last eight years, making sure I prioritize healthy foods while still allowing myself to eat out every once in a while. I also like to reduce my stress by going to the beach or doing yoga,” said Emanuel. 
A dominating factor in the battle against unhealthy eating is stress. Lowering the release of stress hormones will decrease the body’s desire to create serotonin or dopamine from consuming junk foods and could possibly move Americans one step further to beating food addiction. 
The topic of food addiction is still widely miss understood and it is important to remember that each person's healthy lifestyle is unique to their own needs and medical history. There is no one step solution. A long road of research needs to be done to fully understand the relationship between chemical reactions in the body and consumption of foods that are deemed unhealthy.
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Resources:

Suzi White, 50+ American resident, (912)674-0081

Kimberly Emanuel, 50+ American Resident, (904)553-0919

Pamela Hoffsetter, Registered Dietitian, (912)507-2645

Elizabeth Scott, P. D. (2022, November 16). How stress can cause weight gain. Verywell Mind. Retrieved March 2, 2023, from https://www.verywellmind.com/how-stress-can-cause-weight-gain-3145088  

Borough of Manhattan Community College.Why we crave comfort food and how to make it healthier. CUNY Newswire. (2020, December 10). Retrieved March 2, 2023, from https://www1.cuny.edu/mu/forum/2020/12/10/84906/ . 

University of Michigan: Instituted for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.1 in 8 Americans over 50 show signs of food addiction, U-M Poll finds. Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2, 2023, from https://ihpi.umich.edu/news/1-8-americans-over-50-show-signs-food-addiction-u-m-poll-finds  

  

A New Astronomic Discovery that Goes Against what Scientists Thought to be True

 By: Jacob Zari

A dwarf planet that sits just about 4 billion miles away from Earth, has a strange feature that leaves scientists scratching their heads. 

The dwarf planet in question is named “Quaoar,” which is just about a tenth of the size of earth. The planet has a ring around it, however scientists say that the ring should not still be there. 

Quaoar’s ring has a radius of about 2,420 miles, which is just too far to stay intact. The measurement that scientists use for this is called the “Roche Limit.” The Roche Limit is the line that determines if matter will stay as a ring, or break apart, sometimes in the form of a moon. In Quaoar’s case, its Roche Limit is a radius of 1,100 miles. 

Dr. Monique Aller is an associate professor of Observational Astronomy at Georgia Southern. She explains that, “The authors of the Nature paper have run simulations to explore why this ring exists beyond the Classical Roche limit. Their research indicates that elastic collisions could maintain such a ring at the observed distance from the dwarf planet, particularly when combined with orbital resonances and some limitations on the properties of the ring particles.”

Dr. Aller goes on to explain that an orbital resonance “is when objects in orbit experience repeated gravitational pulls, often every integer number of orbits.” 

One of the major questions that scientists are now looking into pertains to the ring’s future.

Dr. Jorge Villa-Vargas is a Lecturer in the Physics and Astronomy Department at Georgia Southern, and he mentions that, “Models predict that a ring like the one discovered around Quaoar should start assembling into a moon in only a few decades. For this reason it is very improbable that the fragments of the ring are the result of a recently destroyed moon, and that we have discovered it at the right time,” says Villa-Vargas. 

Dr. Aller has a similar idea when it comes to the ring. She says that “Models indicate small particles in the ring likely have a short lifetime, perhaps a few decades or less, depending on their sizes. Larger particles, however, may last for much longer. For comparison, Saturn’s rings likely formed 10-100 million years ago.” 

For others, this type of discovery raises red flags. Dr. Clayton Heller is the director of the Planetarium at Georgia Southern, and he voiced his concerns about the recent discovery. 

“So you are telling me that they were able to see a thin ring like that, all the way out in the Kuiper Belt? I haven’t seen much on this planet so far, but from what I have seen, I have not noticed an actual ring,” Heller said. 

This ring may not have a direct impact on Earth, but scientists say that this is a good stepping stone for future research. 

“Understanding the dynamics of systems like Quaoar can help to better understand how the objects of the solar system, including our planet, got assembled and evolved,” says Villa-Vargas.

Dr. Aller adds that “it is of interest to astronomers to better understand how and where material can form into rings (or conversely accrete into larger objects).”

A Green Wave: How Some Bulloch County Residents Are Striving for Sustainability

By: Ainslie Smith

In March 2018, China banned the import of most paper and plastic recyclables under a policy called Operation National Sword. Because of this, the recycling industry in the United States has changed significantly in the past 5 years and has required consumers and producers to look for new solutions to the complex issues presented by waste products. Different organizations in Statesboro have taken recycling and sustainability into their own hands and showcased these efforts at the ninth annual GreenFest.

What began as a personal project with the recyclable waste created in one home, has turned into a curbside collection service available to the residents of Statesboro and the surrounding areas.

In a recent interview, Jon Cook, the owner, and operator of GreenRock Recycling company described his business model and the process of creating a new product out of recycled material.

“This process that I use, it turns [recyclable materials] into either a landscaping rock, or a piece of road, or a piece of construction material that has a life span of decades and even at the end of the life of the product… it can actually be put back into the process and recycled again so its life is then extended for several more decades,” said Cook.

The first step of the GreenRock process is collecting the post-consumer recyclables, then sorting for hazardous materials, shredding/crushing the plastic and glass, heating and combining the materials in a machine developed by Cook, which then forms the materials into a raw polymer-based aggregate. This polymer-based aggregate can then go through different finishing processes and is used to create the landscaping products.

Unlike traditional recycling which requires the sorting and sterilization of different kinds of plastic, the GreenRock process can utilize all plastics, including synthetic fibers, that other recycling processes cannot. Currently, GreenRock diverts over 50 tons of recyclable materials every year that would otherwise end up in landfills.

The subscription service costs $28 a month and is currently being utilized by around 300 households and businesses. One subscriber of this service is Pittman Park UMC.

Similarly to Cook, Megan Hopkins, the Children's Director of Pittman Park UMC, and her husband noticed a gap in the accessibility of recycling services in the Statesboro area for a common, but environmentally harmful product; batteries.

In efforts to move toward a sustainable solution to this problem, they placed battery collection bins in front of the Pittman Park UMC office under the breezeway so anybody can drive through and drop off their used household batteries. Once collected, these batteries are taken to Interstate All Battery Center in Brunswick.

Hopkins says that people should recycle their used batteries because they contain toxins that can harm the environment, even in landfills. Most household batteries contain materials such as lead-acid, cadmium, and lithium-ion, which can contaminate groundwater and damage ecosystems, according to the Battery Recyclers of America.

Both GreenRock Recycling and Pittman Park UMC were participants in the ninth annual GreenFest celebrated in downtown Statesboro.

Keep Statesboro-Bulloch Beautiful (KSBB) and the City of Statesboro hosted the festival on Saturday, February 18, where local vendors, businesses, and other sustainable organizations gathered on East Vine Street to showcase the eco-friendly projects and efforts in the Statesboro community. 

Georgia Southern’s ‘Sustain Southern’ program is one of GreenFest’s partners, and they demonstrated the university's positive environmental efforts with a natural dye workshop at this year's festival.

Kira Jatoft, the assistant director of sustainability and leadership, described how the workshop aimed to highlight the accessibility of making sustainable lifestyle choices and encouraged students to get involved in the program.

The Sustain Southern Program participates and hosts multiple events throughout the year to bring sustainability to the attention of students and community members, including the annual Sustain Southern Week that will be hosted on the Statesboro campus from April 3 - April 7. This event will include a farmers market, information about the university's recycling program, education about sustainable practices, as well as a climate action scavenger hunt.

For more information about sustainability efforts in the Statesboro community visit the KSBB website, where you can find events and programs that aim to involve community members in environmental projects.

The Outcomes of the Ohio Train Derailment

 

By: Erin Ware

A train carrying hazardous materials derailed in Eastern Ohio on February 3rd, releasing dangerous chemicals into the air and surrounding water ways. 

The train, which was operated by Norfolk Southern, derailed on the edge of East Palestine around 8:49 P.M. Five out of the 50 rail cars that derailed were carrying vinyl chloride, a toxic colorless gas used to make plastic. Other cars were carrying ethyl acrylate and isobutylene, which is also toxic. 

Following the incident, residents in the area feared for their health and safety. On Feb. 5th, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine urged residents within a mile radius of the derailment to evacuate the area. 

As some residents began evacuating the area, fears still loomed that a catastrophic explosion would occur at the site of the derailment. On Feb. 6th, officials made an emergency decision to authorize a "controlled release" or "controlled explosion" of the hazardous chemicals in the rail cars. 

The controlled release resulted in an alarming cloud of black smoke over East Palestine. Dr. Eric Gato, an expert in environmental toxicology, believes there were no "good" ways to handle the chemicals. 

"The controlled release was intended to be the least bad of all the options," said Gato, "however, it appears it has not achieved its intended purpose of safely releasing and burning the vinyl chloride."

Vinyl chloride is a carcinogen that, when burned, release hydrochloric acid and phosgene, as well as other chlorinated hydrocarbons. Hydrochloric acid can be toxic at high concentrations and the phosgene compound can be lethal if one is exposed to it. 

Dr. Brandon Quillian, a chemistry expert at Georgia Southern University, believes the hydrochloric acid will be less of a long-term threat due to the chemical becoming diluted as it reacts with other things in the environment. 

"Chlorinated organics, on the other hand, tend to linger in the environment and cause long-term health effects," said Quillian. 

The clean-up crew at the site wrote a letter to DeWine on Wednesday, criticizing Northfolk Southern for putting workers at risk and not providing personal proper protective equipment. 

The letter states that many employees "reported that they continue to experience migraines and nausea, days after the derailment, and they all suspect they were willingly exposed to these chemicals at the direction of Northfolk Southern."

The chemicals from the controlled burning have also spilled into waterways, affecting about seven and a half miles of stream according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. By Feb. 8th, an estimated 3,500 fish had been killed by the contamination. 

While it is too soon to definitively say what the overall environmental impact will be, Gato believes instituting a long-term environmental monitoring program for the area would be a step in the right direction. 

Processed foods causing cancer

 

By: Justin Hall

 

A large-scale meta analysis in the UK, according to UK Biobank records, demonstrated that 200,000 adults were monitored on their diets and looking for any risks of cancer. A dietary recall was conducted between 2009 and 2012. Dietary recalls are a structured interview intended to capture detailed information about all foods and beverages. 

UK researchers discovered there has been a significant amount of study discovering the correlation between processed foods and cancer. Another study that was conducted before this one showed that the UK was the highest in terms of a population in Europe consuming ultra-processed foods. 

Dr. Kiara Chang of Imperial College of London has been working on ultra-processed food research over the last four years. Her collaborators have been working on it much longer. 

"Our study findings suggest that cutting back on ultra-processed foods may have important benefits on cancer risk," said Dr. Chang. "As ultra-processed food consumption is linked with a range of poor health outcomes including obesity and type 2 diabetes, it is important that people are aware of the health risks of consuming them in high levels." 

Dr. Chang said that research and observation of the food environment with an increasing number of and range of ultra-processed foods being made available over time inspired her to investigate this subject.

She also went on to state that nations such as the U.S. and the U.K. are consuming more than half of their daily energy intake from ultra-processed foods.

"This is alarming given the growing evidence from research, including this study, has found higher ultra-processed food consumption harmful for many health outcomes," said Dr. Chang. 

"Therefore, it is important we cut down on the consumption of ultra-processed foods in diet to protect our health." 

A previous study was conducted from 2005 to 2010 in Italy and it showed over 24,000 men and women participated. The researchers were investigating genetic and environmental risk factors that could contribute to their diets and subsequently cause cancer. Participants with missing data on their files were excluded. Food intake was evaluated during the Italy survey one year prior. 

Quantities of food during the Italy survey were also evaluated on certain foods being consumed and selecting an image of a food portion of a predefined standard portion when no image was available. 

In the U.S., another trend in food consumption was tested between 2001 and 2018 . The results showed that consumption of processed foods increased among all U.S. adults from 53.5 to 57%. All parts of the U.S. have shown increase over the last two decades.