Chicken and chips is a comfort food for many but it might not be healthy.
Researchers from Zhejiang University in China conducted the study which was released in the journal PNAS. Over 11 years, they examined data for more than 140,000 individuals who eat fried foods, especially potato chips or as the American says, french fries.
The scientists hypothesised that one reason would be the presence of an ingredient called acrylamide, which is produced when some foods are cooked at extremely high temperatures in fried dishes. The researchers noted that "anxiety- and depressive-like behaviours" are associated with acrylamide.
The findings revealed a 12% higher risk of anxiety and a 7% higher risk of depression in people who frequently consumed fried food. The most affected groups were men and young people.
Other scientist believe that people who are depressed will naturally turn to foods like chips.