‘Men who eat high sugar diet had 23% raised risk of mental disorder’

Millions of men could be making themselves anxious and depressed by eating too much sugar, research suggests. Males who eat more than 67g a day have a 23 per cent increased risk of developing the blues after five years.

Intriguingly, the researchers did not find the same association with women. Most people consume such high amounts of sugar largely due to it being added to processed foods, experts warn.

The study found no link between sugar intake and new mood disorders in women and researchers say it is unclear why. It was found that both men and women with existing mood disorders and high sugar consumption had an increased chance of being depressed again after five years compared to those with lower intakes.

And for the first time, it was found that having a mood disorder did not make people more inclined to eat foods with a high-sugar content.

The report was published in the journal Scientific Reports.