If you frequently reach for convenience foods like soda, chips, or cookies, you might want to reconsider your snack choices.
A recent study discovered a correlation between consumption of ultra-processed foods and an increased risk of developing dementia.
Ultra-processed foods typically contain high levels of sugar, fat, and salt, while offering low amounts of protein and fiber.
Common examples include packaged snacks, deep-fried chicken, sausages, ice cream, canned goods, and many others.
The Study’s Findings
The study, carried out by researchers from Tianjin Medical University in China, doesn’t establish a definitive cause-and-effect relationship but merely highlights a notable association.
They examined a large group of over 72,000 individuals from the UK Biobank and followed them for an average of 10 years. All participants were aged 55 and over, and none had dementia at the beginning of the study.
The research method involved participants filling out questionnaires about their diet.
Based on these responses, the researchers calculated the amount of ultra-processed food consumed, and divided participants into groups based on the proportion of such food in their daily diet.
The study found that on average, ultra-processed foods accounted for 9% of the daily diet of people in the lowest group, compared to 28% for those in the highest group.
By the end of the study, 518 individuals were diagnosed with dementia, with more cases arising from the group with the highest consumption of ultra-processed food.
Dietary Changes and Dementia Risk
Remarkably, the researchers found that a 10% increase in daily intake of ultra-processed foods led to a 25% higher risk of dementia.
On the flip side, if a person were to replace 10% of these processed foods with unprocessed or minimally processed items, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, or unprocessed meat, they observed a 19% lower risk of dementia.
This suggests that even slight changes in diet can potentially make a difference in the risk of dementia.
For instance, reducing ultra-processed food intake by 50 grams a day and increasing consumption of unprocessed or minimally processed foods by the same amount was associated with a 3% decrease in dementia risk.
Remaining Challenges and Future Research
While the study’s findings are significant, it also opens up a broader discussion about our understanding of food processing levels and their relationship with diet quality.
As noted by Maura E. Walker, Ph.D., from Boston University, it’s crucial to recognize that not all processed foods are equal, and the level of processing doesn’t always correlate with dietary quality.
There are also limitations to the study that need to be taken into account.
One significant limitation was the method of determining dementia cases, which relied on hospital records and death registries, potentially overlooking milder cases.
Further research is required to confirm these findings and provide a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of ultra-processed foods on our health.
The Bottom Line
This research adds to the growing body of evidence highlighting the potential adverse effects of ultra-processed foods on our health.
While we should not take this as a conclusive link, it serves as a reminder of the importance of a balanced diet with a focus on fresh, unprocessed foods for maintaining our health and well-being.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about how the Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and this old drug could help treat dementia.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about antioxidants that could help reduce dementia risk, and higher magnesium intake could help benefit brain health.
The study was published in Neurology.
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