According to a new study, those who consume the most ultra-processed foods, such as soft drinks, chips, and cookies, may have a greater chance of acquiring dementia than those who consume the least of these items.
Researchers also discovered that a decreased risk was connected with substituting highly processed meals in a person's diet with unprocessed or less processed items.
The study did not establish a link between highly processed foods and dementia. Only an association is displayed.
Eating ultra-processed foods can cause dementia
Hamza NOUASRIA/Unsplash
Ultra-processed foods have little protein and fiber and are heavy in added sugar, fat, and salt, as per ScienceDaily.
Soft beverages, salty and sweet snacks, ice cream, sausage, deep-fried chicken, yogurt, canned tomatoes and baked beans, ketchup, mayonnaise, packaged guacamole and hummus, packaged bread, and flavored cereals are some of these.
The author of the research Huiping Li, Ph.D., of Tianjin Medical University in China believed that although ultra-processed meals are intended to be pleasant and convenient, they degrade the quality of a person's diet.
These meals might potentially include food additives, chemicals from packaging, or compounds created during heating, all of which have been linked to impaired thinking and memory in prior studies.
From the UK Biobank, a sizable database comprising the health data of half a million people residing in the UK, researchers selected 72,083 individuals for the study.
The study's participants were 55 years of age or older, and did not have dementia at the outset.
They had an average of 10 years of follow-up.
The study's conclusion revealed that 518 participants had dementia.
Participants in the research completed at least two questionnaires on their eating and drinking habits the day before.
By measuring the grams per day and comparing them to the grams per day of other foods to produce a percentage of the daily diet, researchers were able to calculate how much ultra-processed food people consumed.
The subjects were then placed into four equal groups, ranging in ultra-processed food intake % from lowest to maximum.
Ultra-processed foods made up, on average, 9% of the diet of those in the lowest category, or 225 grams per day, as opposed to 28% of the diet of those in the highest group, or 814 grams per day.
150 grams constituted one serving of foods like pizza or fish sticks.
Drinks were the leading food category that contributed to the high consumption of ultra-processed foods, followed by sweet foods and ultra-processed dairy.
105 of the 18,021 individuals in the lowest group acquired dementia, as opposed to 150 of the 18,021 individuals in the highest group.
Researchers discovered that for every 10% increase in daily consumption of ultra-processed foods, adults had a 25% increased risk of dementia after controlling for age, gender, family history of dementia, and heart disease as well as other characteristics that potentially impact the risk of dementia.
Researchers also calculated the effects of replacing 10% of ultra-processed meals with unprocessed or less processed foods, such as fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes, milk, and meat, using research data.
They discovered that such a change was linked to a 19% decreased incidence of dementia.
Choosing what to eat might seem more difficult than ever with the paleo diet, the keto trend, and the controversy over whether low-carb or low-fat diets are better for your health, as per Laborers Health and Safety Fund.
The consensus among health professionals seems to be that we should all consume fewer processed foods.
Increased risk of cancer - Every 10% increase in the intake of highly processed foods was linked to a 12% rise in the risk of cancer, according to five-year research involving more than 100,000 participants.
Sugar, salt, and fat in excess - Foods that have been heavily processed frequently have harmful amounts of added sugar, salt, and fat. These substances enhance the flavor of the food we consume, but consuming too much of them can result in major health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and heart disease.
Inadequate nutrients- In today's world, many foods are fortified with fiber, vitamins, and minerals because heavy processing often depletes foods of their essential components.
Addictive and high in calories- It's incredibly simple to eat unhealthy food in excess and take in more calories than we know. For instance, a full cup of green beans has only 44 calories whereas an Oreo cookie has roughly 50. These kinds of processed meals are also intended to activate the dopamine-producing area of our brains, which will cause us to want them more in the future.
More quickly absorbed- Compared to the whole, unprocessed meals, processed foods are simpler to digest. As a result, our bodies expend fewer calories digesting them. According to estimates, processed food causes us to use half as many calories in digestion as unprocessed food. This characteristic, together with the high-calorie content of processed meals in general, can make it simple to gain weight.
