The part of the brain involved in executive functioning, the ability to process information and make decisions, is especially affected, according to the study published Monday in JAMA Neurology.
The men and women in the study who ate the most ultra-processed foods had a 25% faster rate of decline in executive function and a 28% faster rate of overall cognitive decline compared to those who ate the least amount of excessively processed food.
“While this is an association study, not designed to prove cause and effect, there are a number of elements that strengthen the proposition that some acceleration in cognitive decline can be attributed to ultra-processed foods,” said Dr. David Katz, specialist in preventive medicine and lifestyle and nutrition, who was not involved in the study.
“The sample size is substantial and the follow-up extensive. While not proof, this is strong enough to conclude that ultra-processed foods are probably bad for our brains.”
However, there was an interesting twist. If the quality of the overall diet was high, meaning the person also ate plenty of whole, unprocessed fruits and vegetables, whole grains and healthy sources of protein, the association between ultra-processed foods and cognitive decline disappeared, Katz said. .
“Ultra-processed foods reduce diet quality, and therefore their concentration in the diet is an indicator of poor diet quality in most cases,” Katz said. “Atypical as it may seem, apparently some of the participants succeeded. And when diet quality was high, the observed association between ultra-processed foods and brain function decreased.”
Many ultra-processed foods
The study followed more than 10,000 Brazilians for up to 10 years. Slightly more than half of the study participants were female, white, or college-educated, while the median age was 51.
Cognitive tests, including immediate and delayed word recall, word recognition, and verbal fluency, were performed at the beginning and end of the study, and participants were asked about their diet.
“In Brazil, ultra-processed foods account for 25 to 30 percent of total caloric intake. We have McDonald’s, Burger King, and we eat a lot of chocolate and white bread. Unfortunately, it’s not much different from many other Western countries.” co-author Dr. Claudia Suemoto, an assistant professor in the division of geriatrics at the University of São Paulo School of Medicine, told CNN when the study abstract was published in August.
“58 percent of the calories consumed by US citizens, 56.8 percent of the calories consumed by British citizens, and 48 percent of the calories consumed by Canadians come from ultra-processed foods,” Suemoto said.
Ultra-processed foods are defined as “industrial formulations of food substances (oils, fats, sugars, starch, and protein isolates) that contain little or no whole foods and generally include flavorings, colors, emulsifiers, and other cosmetic additives,” according to the study.
Those in the study who ate the most ultra-processed foods were “more likely to be younger, female, white, with higher education and income, and were more likely to never have smoked, and less likely to be heavy consumers.” alcohol currents,” said the study found.
It’s not just the brain
In addition to the impact on cognition, ultra-processed foods are known to increase the risk of obesity, heart and circulatory problems, diabetes, cancer, and a shorter life span.
“Ultra-processed foods in general are bad for every part of us,” said Katz, president and founder of the True Health Initiative, a global coalition of experts dedicated to evidence-based lifestyle medicine, a nonprofit organization profit.
Ultra-processed foods are often high in sugar, salt and fat, all of which promote inflammation throughout the body, which is “perhaps the biggest threat to healthy aging of the body and brain,” said Dr. Rudy Tanzi, professor of neurology. at Harvard Medical School and director of the genetics and aging research unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He was not involved in the study.
“Meanwhile, since they’re convenient as fast food, they also replace eating foods high in plant fiber which is important for maintaining the health and balance of the trillions of bacteria in your gut microbiome,” Tanzi added, “which It is particularly important for brain health and for reducing the risk of age-related brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.”
To do
How can you prevent this from happening to you? If you include ultra-processed foods in your diet, try to counteract them by also eating high-quality whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
“The suggested conclusion here is that ultra-processed foods are, in fact, an important ‘ingredient,’ but the exposure that should be the focus of public health efforts is the overall quality of the diet,” Katz said.
An easy way to ensure diet quality is to cook and prepare food from scratch, Suemoto said.
“We say we don’t have time, but it really doesn’t take that long,” Suemoto said.
“And it’s worth it because it’s going to protect your heart and it’s going to protect your brain from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. That’s the bottom line: stop buying the super-processed stuff.”
CNN
