A person’s intake of ultra-processed foods during midlife is linked to the risk for cognitive decline, according to a new study published in the journal JAMA Neurology.
A number of different dietary and lifestyle factors have been linked to the risk for cognitive decline or dementia (advanced cognitive impairment). Following a Mediterranean diet is linked to better cognitive performance in people with diabetes, and using food stamps (federal nutritional assistance) is linked to less cognitive decline in older adults. Getting enough sleep has been shown to help limit cognitive decline in the early stages of Alzheimer’s dementia, and physical activity as early as childhood has been linked to cognitive performance decades later. How much gluten you consume, on the other hand, has been shown not to be linked to cognitive decline in most people.
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For the latest study, researchers looked at dietary habits and cognitive performance in 10,775 adults between the ages of 35 and 74, all of them public servants who lived in one of six Brazilian cities. At the beginning of the study, each participant completed a food frequency questionnaire that was used to estimate their intake of ultra-processed foods — foods that have been heavily processed so that they contain few, if any, intact food ingredients. They also completed a series of cognitive tests at the beginning of the study, as well as throughout a follow-up period that lasted an average of about eight years. The average age of participants was about 52, and 53% of them identified as white. Most (57%) had an education level of at least a college degree.
Ultra-processed food consumption linked to faster cognitive decline
Over the course of the follow-up period, participants whose intake of ultra-processed foods fell in the top three-quarters experienced a 28% faster rate of overall cognitive decline compared with the quarter of participants with the lowest intake of ultra-processed foods. The same three-quarters of participants also experienced a 25% faster rate of decline in executive function, or the ability to focus attention and deal with multiple tasks. The cutoff point for intake of ultra-processed foods between the groups was at around 20% of daily caloric intake, as noted in an article on the study at MedPage Today — a level of ultra-processed food consumption that is clearly widespread in Brazil, and is believed to be even more commonplace in the United States. While about 30% of total calories come from ultra-processed foods in Brazil, that number may be as high as 58% in the United States.
“These findings support current public health recommendations on limiting ultra-processed food consumption because of their potential harm to cognitive function,” the researchers noted, adding that adults who are older than the latest study population are also likely to benefit from limiting their ultra-processed food consumption.
Want to learn more about maintaining cognitive health with diabetes? Read “Nine Tips to Keep Your Memory With Diabetes,” “Staying Sharp: Seven Ways to Keep Your Brain Healthy With Diabetes,” “Keeping Your Brain Strong With Diabetes” and “Memory Fitness: How to Get It, How to Keep It.”
Want to learn more about ultra-processed foods? Read “Processed vs. Ultra-Processed Foods.”
