Study: How ultra-processed foods can lead us into cognitive decline

What ends up on our plates has to taste good first and foremost.

Study: How ultra-processed foods can lead us into cognitive decline

What ends up on our plates has to taste good first and foremost. That's how 99 percent of Germans see it, according to the result of the 2021 Nutrition Report. In Germany, a lot of processed food is used - a full 80 to 90 percent of all food consumed is processed. From frozen vegetables and rice bags to seasoning mixes, says Christoph Minhoff, General Manager of the Confederation of the German Food Industry. But as a study shows, ultra-processed foods like chips, frozen pizza, and instant soup can put us on the path to cognitive decline.

The study, published in the journal Neurology, shows that people who eat very large amounts of ultra-processed foods, such as soft drinks, cookies or ice cream, may have a higher risk of developing dementia than people who only eat small amounts of ultra-processed foods. Ultra-processed foods are those that are high in added sugar, fat and salt, but very low in protein and fiber, according to the study. These foods include, but are not limited to, soft drinks, salty and sugary snacks, ice cream, sausage, fried chicken, canned baked beans and tomatoes, ketchup, mayonnaise, packaged guacamole, packaged hummus, packaged bread, and flavored cereals.

"Ultra-processed foods are supposed to be convenient and tasty, but they degrade the quality of a person's diet," said study author Huiping Li of Tianjin Medical University in China. "These foods may also contain food additives or molecules from the packaging that other studies have shown to have negative effects on thinking and memory. Not only has our research found that ultra-processed foods are associated with an increased risk of dementia, but also that substituting with healthy alternatives may reduce the risk of dementia."

For the study, the researchers used data from the UK Biodatabase, a large database of health information. They evaluated the data of 72,083 people. The participants were older than 55 years, had no dementia at the start of the study and were followed for an average of ten years. During the study period, the subjects filled out at least two questionnaires about what they drank and ate the day before. The researchers determined how much ultraprocessed food the participants ate and divided them into four equal groups - from the lowest to the highest percentage of ultraprocessed foods consumed.

After accounting for age, gender, family history of dementia and heart disease, and other factors that might affect dementia risk, the researchers found that when people increased their daily intake of ultra-processed foods by 10 percent, they had a 25 percent greater risk of dementia had. However, the researchers point out in their study that their investigation was not able to determine whether the consumption of ultra-processed foods was the cause of dementia. So far they have only been able to prove the connection. Further research is still needed.

"Our results also show that those who make dietary changes and eat 50 grams more unprocessed or unprocessed foods each day, equivalent to half an apple, a serving of corn or a bowl of bran cereal, while reducing ultra-processed foods by 50 grams per day , which is equivalent to a candy bar or a serving of fish fingers, has been associated with a three percent reduced risk of dementia," Li said. "It's encouraging to know that small and manageable changes in diet can impact a person's risk of dementia."

Sources: Study in Neurology, Study Notice, Nutrition Report, Nutrition Report Notice