Eating more ultraprocessed foods linked to hidden brain injury

The study, published in JAMA Network Open on October 15, examined the diets, body fat levels, brain scans and cognitive performance of 8,783 adults aged 35 to 69 who had no history of cardiovascular disease.

Researchers found that participants who consumed the most ultraprocessed foods had 40% higher odds of showing signs of vascular brain injury than those who consumed the least. These changes, detected through MRI, included small areas of damage caused by problems with blood flow and changes in the brain's white matter.

Such damage can develop before noticeable problems with memory or thinking appear and may indicate an increased risk of future stroke and other brain health problems.

The study also found that people in the highest consumption group had, on average, 1.7 percentage points more body fat and a greater volume of fat stored around internal organs than those in the lowest consumption group. Researchers found no significant difference in liver fat levels between the two groups.

Despite the findings from brain scans, higher ultraprocessed food consumption was not consistently associated with lower scores on tests measuring memory, attention, processing speed and other thinking skills.

The researchers noted that the association between ultraprocessed food intake and brain vessel damage was not consistent across all methods used to measure food consumption. This means the findings should be interpreted cautiously.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Kazakhstan might restrict fast food ads for children on TV and social media.