Study links ultra-processed foods to dementia and cognitive decline by Luke Gentile, Social Media Producer for Washington Examiner
GNN Note – Ultra processed foods are loaded with empty calories, fat, sodium and carbohydrates. What more does a person need to know about the adverse effects on health? None of these items are healthy and some are down right dangerous to our system. / END
Ultra-processed foods might go easy on a person’s taste buds and wallet, but a new study now suggests they are linked to dementia and cognitive decline.
The study, titled “Association Between Consumption of Ultraprocessed Foods and Cognitive Decline,” was published Monday in JAMA Neurology and reported that people who consume ultra-processed foods as 20% of their daily calories could be at a greater risk for cognitive decline.
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Pizza, hot dogs, cookies, cakes, doughnuts, candy, and ice cream are all examples of ultra-processed foods, which are defined as “industrial formulations of food substances [oils, fats, sugars, starch, and protein isolates] that contain little or no whole foods and typically include flavorings, colorings, emulsifiers, and other cosmetic additives,” per the study.
If a person consumes 2,000 calories a day, 20% is 400 calories, and a McDonald’s Big Mac comes in at at least 560 calories.
“In a cohort study of 10 ,775 individuals, higher consumption of [ultra-processed] foods was associated with a higher rate of global and executive function decline after a median follow-up of 8 years,” the study reported.
The individuals, ages 35 to 74, were followed for a decade and questioned multiple times in order to gauge any changes to their mental state while reporting their dietary habits.
Tests included those evaluating word recall, verbal fluency, and word recognition.
