In a study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers found that greater Ultraprocessed Foods (UPF) intake, particularly artificial sweeteners and artificially sweetened beverages, is associated with increased risk of depression. Although the mechanism associating UPF to depression is unknown, recent experimental data suggests that artificial sweeteners elicit purinergic transmission in the brain,⁵ which may be involved in the etiopathogenesis of depression.⁶ Strengths of our study include the large sample, prospective design, high follow-up rate, ability to adjust for multiple confounders, and extensively validated dietary assessment tools.