Ultra-processed foods are quick, convenient and hard to avoid, but there is growing evidence that eating these products can have an impact on brain health, leading to cognitive decline and stroke. According to a new study published in the clinical journal Neurology, those who consumed just 10 per cent more ultra-processed foods increased their risk of stroke by 9 per cent and cognitive impairment by 12 per cent. Earlier this month, a separate study found those who consumed an average of seven servings a day of ultra-processed foods faced an increased risk of death.
Top health headlines, all in one place "The downside is really coming into focus, that there is a cost associated with these foods," Dr. W. Taylor Kimberly told CTV National News.
"Individually and collectively, we need to think about what that cost is and how to tackle that." Kimberly and his team of researchers looked at 30,000 participants in the United States for this study and found ultra-processed foods are likely affecting our brains in two ways. One is directly, in the way our gut breaks down ultra-processed food, and the other is that those who consume a high amount of ultra-processed food are at greater risk for things like heart disease and obesity, which also impacts the brain.
Food is considered ultra-processed when it goes through multiple processing steps. For example, a tomato from the vine is considered a "whole food," a diced tomato in a can is considered "processed," but when salt, sugar and chem.
