People who gravitate towards sweet foods and sugery drinks have been found to have a higher risk of depression, diabetes and stroke.
A new study by the University of Surrey, published in the Journal of Translational Medicine, analysed the food preferences of 180,000 volunteers in the UK Biobank.
It found if your favourite foods are cakes, sweets, and sugary drinks you are 31 percent more likely to have depression.
“We also found that the sweet tooth group had higher rates of diabetes, as well as vascular heart conditions, compared to the other two groups,” the study report said.
“The foods that you like or dislike seem to directly link to your health.”
The Surrey team reviewed UK Biobank data on blood samples where 2923 proteins and 168 metabolites had been measured to see how these levels changed in each group, categorised by their eating habits.
“Proteins are the workhorses of the body and do everything from fighting infections to muscle contractions and thinking,” the research report said.
“Metabolites are small molecules produced during digestion and other chemical processes in the body, and they can tell us a lot about how well our body is functioning.
“By comparing these blood-based proteins and metabolites, (we) could get a clearer picture of the biological differences between the groups.”
The researchers also studied differences between the three groups in standard blood biochemistry tests.
“In the sweet tooth group, they had higher levels of C reactive protein, which is a marker for inflammation,” the research report said.
“Their blood results also show higher levels of glucose and poor lipid profiles, which is a strong warning sign for diabetes and heart disease.
“Conversely, the health-conscious group, which also had higher dietary fibre intake, had lower risks for heart failure, chronic kidney diseases and stroke, while the omnivore group had moderate health risks.”
The full report is on the University of Surrey website.
