Studies conducted by tens of thousands of people have confirmed that regular consumption of cereals, hand-held drinks, and frozen foods not only makes you fat, but also makes you "stupid."
Frequent consumption of “ultra-processed foods” such as desserts, biscuits, and processed meats not only carries the risk of gaining weight, but may even cause brain function to decline and face the risk of “becoming stupid”? The authoritative journal “JAMA Neurology” recently published a study that pointed out that people who regularly consume ultra-processed foods have a significant decline in cognitive function and executive function, and their brains also age faster than normal people.
Study on thousands of people who consume excessive amounts of “ultra-processed foods” every day confirms that cognitive function declines 28% faster
A team from the School of Medicine at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil recruited 10,755 subjects aged 35-74 from 6 different cities in Brazil and divided them into 4 major groups based on different eating habits:
Group 1: Consume only unprocessed or minimally processed foods, such as frozen fruits and vegetables, grains, meat or dairy products.
Group 2: Prepares food using processed cooking ingredients such as refined salt, refined sugar and salad oil.
Group 3: usually consume processed foods, such as canned fruits, pickled meat or fish, bread, processed dairy products, etc.
Group 4: Habitually consume ultra-processed foods with added flavorings, sweeteners and emulsifiers.
The research team collected dietary data every four years from 2008 to 2019, and compared the differences between the four groups of humans and horses. After comparing the data, it was found that compared with the humans and horses in Group 1 (who had the least intake of ultra-processed products), subjects in Group 4 experienced a 28% faster decline in cognitive ability and a 25% faster decline in executive function. In addition, this result also has a significant impact on the middle-aged group under the age of 60.
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Natalia Gomes Gonçalves, the lead author of the study, pointed out that previous studies on ultra-processed foods have mostly focused on diseases such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome or obesity. There is a lack of large-scale samples to support brain damage; and this paper published in “JAMA” further confirms the negative impact of ultra-processed foods on the human brain. “Long-term intake of ultra-processed foods may cause significant cerebrovascular disease and is a potential main cause of decline in executive function. In addition, ultra-processed foods may also cause inflammation in the body and cause systemic inflammation, so the harm does not only exist in the brain, but throughout the body. Every organ, and the impact may be irreversible.”
Gonçalves said that based on current scientific evidence, regular exercise, adopting the DASH and Mediterranean diets, and quitting smoking and drinking may be feasible practices that can delay dementia or cognitive decline. Gonçalves also reminded young people that excessive intake of processed foods early in life will be “extremely detrimental” to brain health in later life, and they should start trying to reduce their intake and replace it with original foods.
How to distinguish between processed foods and ultra-processed foods? “The less you can see the original appearance of the food,” the more likely it is to harm your health.
As for the difference between “processed food” and “ultra-processed food”? Could both be a health hazard? Harvard Health Publishing, a publication directly affiliated with Harvard Medical School in the United States, points out that processing changes the natural state of food, basically by adding salt, oil, sugar or other substances. Although processed foods are less harmful than ultra-processed foods, regular consumption is still not recommended.
In addition to added sugar, salt, and oil, ultra-processed foods also contain additives such as preservatives, hydrogenated fats, artificial colors, flavors, or stabilizers; frozen foods, non-alcoholic beverages, hot dogs, fast food, packaged biscuits, cakes, and other foods All fall into this category. According to Harvard Health Publishing, according to the “NOVA” dietary classification, foods can be divided into the following four categories based on the degree of processing:
Unprocessed/minimally processed foods: “prototype foods” or foods with a very low degree of processing, such as whole grains, commercial milk, fruits and vegetables, meat or eggs, etc.
Processed cooking ingredients: seasonings or cooking ingredients processed within a reasonable range, such as vegetable oil (olive oil or rapeseed oil), animal oil (lard or butter), refined sugar or refined salt, honey, etc.
Processed foods: Foods that have changed their appearance through cooking, fermentation, etc. may contain too much sodium and sugar, such as bread, cheese slices, canned fruits, canned fish or meat, packaged nuts, etc.
Ultra-processed foods: They may contain industrial formulas such as stabilizers or preservatives, and most of them can no longer be seen as food prototypes. Such as chocolate, candy biscuits, ice cream, cakes, hand-cranked drinks, carbonated drinks, cereals, instant meals, preparation packages, frozen foods, etc.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, ultra-processed foods are the main source of calories consumed by Americans (approximately 58%) and account for 90% of daily sugar intake. Therefore, we call on the public to re-examine their usual eating habits to see if they consume excessive amounts of processed foods. It is recommended that they gradually replace them with original foods, which can help avoid cardiovascular disease, cancer, and even cognitive decline.
Source:
What are ultra-processed foods and are they bad for our health?
Association Between Consumption of Ultraprocessed Foods and Cognitive Decline
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