Editor’s note: Jimmy Buffett passed away on September 1, after the writing of this article.
By Katie Prater, Student Pharmacist and Karen Kier, Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU HealthWise team
In 1978, Jimmy Buffett released the song Cheeseburger in Paradise, which he wrote and performed. The song was part of his album titled Son of a Son of a Sailor and only hit number 32 on the Billboard charts. The irony of only hitting 32 is the song is now considered one of his signature songs and is even the first track on his greatest hits album Songs You Know by Heart.
Jimmy Buffett was considered the richest musician in the world and this is a result of not only his music, but his restaurant and resort holdings and his books. Buffett owned Margaritaville Holdings LLC named after another song that brought him fame. He was known for his island escape style of music, which incorporates beaches and sailing. Jimmy Buffett learned to sail from his grandfather when he was a boy.
His fans are known as Parrotheads and they followed his tours all over the country. His concerts were often one large beach party with many devoted fans.
Why a discussion of cheeseburgers? Cheeseburgers often are accompanied by fried potatoes and some recent studies have been published looking at the impact of fast foods on health including mental health.
Anxiety and depression are mental health disorders, which are very prevalent worldwide. Often those who experience these look for alternative methods to help improve their symptoms besides or in addition to medications. These alternatives may relate to exercise, change in routine, improving sleep, or even diet. More recently diet has been found to be linked with a risk of developing both depression and anxiety.
A study published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America looked at the correlation between diet and anxiety and/or depression. The Western diet often includes fried or processed foods along with refined grains and sugary products. These foods have been associated with an increased risk of anxiety and depression. This study helped to explain the reasoning behind this association.
When the researchers compiled data from a little more than 20,000 cases of anxiety and depression, they found people who did not consume fried foods compared to those who consumed more than one serving per day were more likely to be younger males who were active smokers. A 12% higher risk of anxiety symptoms was identified for those who consumed fried foods. Specific foods showing a higher associated risk of symptoms were fried white meat and fried potatoes. The consumption of fried potatoes showed a 2% higher risk of depressive symptoms.
The researchers of this study believe the association is caused by chronic acrylamide exposure. Acrylamide is a typical processing contaminant or chemical that can form in fried foods. This chemical has shown to cause neurotoxic effects, such as dysregulation of genes, in other species, such as the zebrafish. Acrylamide leads to increased inflammation as there are not enough antioxidants in the foods to fight off the unstable molecules. These changes can lead to remarkable disturbances to behavior, such as depressive-like symptoms, anxiety symptoms and weakened adaptability to new environments.
Overall, the researchers found evidence indicating that the chemicals in fried food could lead to alterations in brain function. Although the study has not been conducted in the human population, the evidence could still provide an explanation for the increased risk of anxiety and depression that occurs with increased consumption of fried foods. It is clear that there is definitely an association between fried foods and these disease states, further evidence would be helpful in providing a deeper understanding of the issues.
So, when eating your cheeseburger in paradise, you might think about an alternative to the fried foods including potatoes!
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