In recent years, ultra-processed foods have been linked to a range of health issues, including obesity, cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease.
A new study now adds cognitive decline to this list, offering fresh insights into the dangers of consuming these foods.
The study involved 10,775 participants in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health and discovered that those who consumed the most ultra-processed foods experienced a 28% faster rate of global cognitive decline and a 25% faster rate of executive function decline compared to those who ate the least.
According to the study, consuming as little as 20% of the recommended 2,000 daily calories from ultraprocessed foods, equivalent to a regular McDonald’s cheeseburger and small fries, could be detrimental to cognitive function.
A Ubiquitous Problem
While fast food is a common source of ultraprocessed foods, it is not the only one. A study last year found that over 73% of the U.S. food supply is ultraprocessed.
This points to a broader issue that extends beyond just fast-food chains, encompassing a wide range of products readily available in grocery stores.
An Association, Not a Causation (Yet)
Dr. David Katz, a specialist in preventive and lifestyle medicine who was not involved in the study, emphasizes that while the study is robust and extensive, it is designed to find associations, not prove cause and effect.
However, the substantial sample size and the extensive follow-up do indicate that the negative cognitive effects observed are likely not coincidental. Katz believes that “ultraprocessed foods are probably bad for our brains.”
Implications for Public Health
With ultraprocessed foods making up a significant proportion of the average diet, these findings have potentially far-reaching implications for public health.
They add to the growing body of evidence that calls for urgent reconsideration of dietary habits and food production processes.
What Can Be Done?
Given the prevalence of ultraprocessed foods, consumer awareness and education are crucial.
Policy measures could also be considered, such as imposing taxes on ultraprocessed foods, restricting advertising, and perhaps even mandating warning labels akin to those found on tobacco products.
Conclusion
The new study published in JAMA Neurology adds cognitive decline to the growing list of health risks associated with ultraprocessed foods.
While the study doesn’t establish causation, the strength of the association should give both consumers and policymakers pause.
Further research is essential, but for now, reducing the intake of ultra-processed foods seems like a prudent course of action for both physical and mental well-being.
If you care about dementia, please read studies about New test that finds Lewy body dementia before symptoms appear and findings of Big causes of memory loss, and dementia you need to know.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that a high-fiber diet could help lower the dementia risk, and these antioxidants could help reduce dementia risk.
The research findings can be found in JAMA Neurology.
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