As the world’s population ages and the number of older adults with dementia increases, this knowledge cannot come soon enough
Can a box of cookies cause memory loss? Two recent large-scale studies suggest that eating ultra-processed foods may exacerbate age-related cognitive decline and increase the risk of developing dementia.
While some factors like genetics and socioeconomic status are out of a person’s control, ongoing research indicates that a poor diet is a risk factor for memory and Alzheimer’s disease.
Ultra-processed foods (soda, packaged cookies, chips, frozen meals, flavored nuts, flavored yogurt, distilled alcoholic beverages) and fast foods are lower in nutrients and fibre and higher in sugar, fat and salt compared to unprocessed or minimally processed foods.
Even packaged breads, including those high in nutritious whole grains, qualify as ultra-processed in many cases because of the additives they contain.
Processed foods on the other hand still retain most of their natural characteristics (canned vegetables, dried pasta or frozen fruit). Research examining the relationship between health and ultra-processed foods uses the NOVA classification, which is a categorisation system based on the type and extent of industrial food processing.
Since the study requires a wider range of subjects, it is still not entirely clear if eating food that has undergone more processing has an additional negative impact on health beyond low diet quality.
For example, a burger made at home versus one made at a fast food chain are both high in fat, sugar and salt but only the latter is ultra-processed. More research is needed to determine whether one is worse than the other.
But for adults over 55, a healthier diet like the Mediterranean diet and ketogenic diet could increase the likelihood of maintaining better brain function. Both diets minimise or eliminate the consumption of sugar.
Although inflammation is a normal immune response to injury, ultra-processed foods might also exacerbate harmful inflammation. Another way that diet and ultra-processed foods may influence brain health is through the communication that occurs between the brain and the gut microbiome.
Since studies with humans take time and increase uncertainties, lab-based studies using animals are incredibly useful. Rats show cognitive decline in old age that parallels humans. It is also easy to control rodent diets and activity levels in a laboratory. As the world’s population ages and the number of older adults with dementia increases, this knowledge cannot come soon enough.
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