Consumption of highly processed foods is associated with brain damage in middle age

A new study of 8,783 Canadian adults found that those who ate the most highly processed foods were about 40 percent more likely to have signs of silent brain damage; Changes that may occur without detectable problems in memory and thinking.

According to Ambassador Arjan, quoted by earth, new research shows the connection between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and brain changes associated with increased risk of stroke and memory problems in the later years of life.

Ultra-processed foods have been associated with increased body fat, diabetes and heart diseases in various studies; But their effect on the brain is less known. Now the results of a new study using brain scans show that these foods may be associated with brain damage; That too, years before people reach old age and the appearance of recognizable symptoms.

According to the findings of this research, people who consumed the most amount of packaged snacks, sweet breakfast cereals, carbonated soft drinks and prepared foods were about 40% more exposed to small areas of brain tissue damage.

The participants of this study were healthy adults aged 35 to 69 years who did not have any specific symptoms. The results of their memory and thinking tests did not show any difference with other participants.

Russell D'Souza, a senior researcher at the Population Health Research Institute in Hamilton, Canada, led the study in collaboration with Sonia Anand. The institute is jointly operated by McMaster University and the Hamilton Health Sciences Center.

The researchers reviewed the participants' information at a point in time; Thus, the findings suggest a link between diet and brain damage, but do not prove that the consumption of highly processed foods directly causes these damages.

"Honestly, I didn't expect such a finding," De Souza said. We looked at middle-aged Canadians who did not have heart problems and did not report any other illnesses or health concerns. "Usually, this type of injury is related to the diseases that we encounter and treat at an older age."

Researchers analyzed brain scan images and dietary information of 8,783 Canadian adults with no history of heart disease. Participants were part of two long-term health research projects: the Canadian Coalition for Healthy Hearts and Healthy Minds project and the Canadian arm of the PURE-MIND study, which is part of the international PURE project.

Each participant had completed a questionnaire about their food consumption during the last year. Then neurologists, who were unaware of the subjects' dietary information, reviewed the brain scans.

The researchers looked for two types of damage: small, silent strokes that occurred without overt symptoms and damaged areas in the brain's white matter; The part that contains the nerve fibers and the connection between different areas of the brain. The presence of any of these cases was considered as brain damage.

In total, about 9 percent of participants had at least one of these signs of injury. This rate was 8.1% among people who consumed the least amount of ultra-processed food and 11.3% among those who consumed the most.

This association remained even after taking into account factors such as age, income, smoking, physical activity and underlying diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

People who ate the most highly processed foods also had more belly fat. Their body fat percentage was about 1.7 percentage points higher than those who consumed the least amount of these foods.

Also, the amount of deep abdominal fat that accumulates around the internal organs was about 5.7 ml more in the high consumption group. However, no significant difference was observed in the amount of liver fat.

The association between consumption of ultra-processed foods and brain damage was stronger in obese subjects, but not in normal weight participants.

Researchers suggest that deep abdominal fat may explain part of this relationship; Because this type of fat can increase inflammation and vascular damage. However, when measures of body fat were included in the analyses, the association between consumption of ultra-processed foods and brain damage did not change significantly. This raises the possibility of the role of other factors related to diet.

All participants completed two short tests to assess memory, attention and speed of information processing. The results showed that the people who consumed the most ultra-processed foods had the same performance in these tests as the people who consumed less.

The researchers believe that the high score of the participants in total may have limited the possibility of identifying small differences. Also, short tests may not be sensitive enough to detect early brain changes in middle age.

"Our findings suggest that the link between diet and brain health may be detectable before people experience obvious problems with memory or thinking," said Sonia Anand, senior author of the study.

He added that the results reinforce growing evidence that what people eat in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s can be linked to their brain health later in life.

When the researchers analyzed the results by gender, the association between consumption of ultra-processed foods and brain damage was stronger in women.

Women who consumed the most of these foods were about 1.8 times more likely to have symptoms of silent brain damage compared to women who consumed the least. In contrast, a similar difference was not observed between men with high and low consumption.

However, these comparisons were not originally designed as the main purpose of the study and the researchers described them as exploratory. Also, factors such as the role of hormones in this difference were not investigated; Therefore, more research is needed to draw definitive conclusions.

Among the people who consumed the most highly processed foods, these products constituted 45% of the total meals consumed. This share was 16.5% in the group that had the lowest amount of consumption.

On the other hand, the share of fresh and less processed foods such as fruits, vegetables and grains was 68.6% in the low consumption group and 41.5% in the high consumption group.

Interestingly, the high consumption group did not necessarily eat fewer vegetables. These people even consumed slightly more vegetables, whole grains and dairy products daily. However, their daily energy intake was about 300 calories more and the relative share of other healthy foods in their diet decreased.

"People who ate more highly processed foods weren't just adding these foods to their regular diet," De Souza explained. It seemed that these products had taken the place of some of the whole and healthier foods."

Individuals in the high consumption group were also more likely to have lower incomes and less education.

Pointing out that ultra-processed foods are an accessible, cheap and convenient option for many people, Anand said the findings of the study show that a diet rich in these products may be associated with brain changes associated with memory problems and stroke in later years of life.

This study had limitations. All information was collected at one time, and the food questionnaire examined only food consumption during one year; While the studied brain injuries are likely to develop over a longer period of time.

The results also depended on the method of calculating the consumption of ultra-processed foods. The desired association remained when intake was calculated based on the number of servings per 2,000 calories, but the association weakened or disappeared when calculated based on the share of these foods in total calories or total servings. The researchers considered this as a reason to be cautious in interpreting the results.

As a result, this study cannot determine whether reducing the intake of ultra-processed foods actually prevents the onset or progression of brain changes.

Long-term studies that follow people over time and perform repeated brain scans are needed to answer this question, de Souza emphasized. Such research can determine whether reducing the consumption of these foods slows down the process of developing brain damage or prevents it.

This research shows a relationship between consuming more highly processed foods and increasing the probability of observing silent brain damage in middle-aged adults; Damages that may exist without detectable impairment of memory and thinking. However, it is not yet clear whether these foods are directly causing the damage or reducing their consumption can prevent these changes.

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