Nutrition and Dementia > The Link between super-processed foods and dementia, etc., etc

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Ultra-processed foods linked to cognitive decline, dementia: study

By Brooke Steinberg

December 6, 2022 11:22am  Updated

Ultra-processed foods might make our lives easier and taste delicious, but they might have detrimental impacts down the line — possibly leading to dementia.

A new study published in JAMA Neurology on Monday found that people could be at a higher risk of cognitive decline if more than 20% of their daily caloric intake is ultra-processed foods.

That’s about 400 calories a day in a diet of 2,000 calories a day. An order of small fries and a regular cheeseburger from McDonald’s is 530 calories.

Other examples of ultra-processed foods include frozen pizza, hot dogs, sausages, sodas, cookies, cakes, candy, doughnuts and ice cream.

In the study, researchers defined ultra-processed foods as “industrial formulations of food substances (oils, fats, sugars, starch, and protein isolates) that contain little or no whole foods and typically include flavorings, colorings, emulsifiers and other cosmetic additives.”

“Fifty-eight percent of the calories consumed by United States citizens, 56.8% of the calories consumed by British citizens, and 48% of the calories consumed by Canadians come from ultra-processed foods,” co-author Dr. Claudia Suemoto, an assistant professor in the division of geriatrics at the University of São Paulo Medical School, said.

Those who consumed the most ultra-processed foods had a 28% faster rate of cognitive decline.

Getty Images

The part of the brain involved in executive functioning — the ability to process information and make decisions — is especially impacted by the risk of cognitive decline, according to the study.

More than 10,000 Brazilians between 35 and 74 years old were followed for up to 10 years for the study, which aimed to see how eating this kind of food affected brain power.

A new study found that people could be at a higher risk of cognitive decline if more than 20% of their daily caloric intake

is ultra-processed foods. Getty Images

Participants were tested at the beginning and end of the study to see if their mental state had changed. Tests included immediate and delayed word recall, word recognition and verbal fluency. They also had to complete food questionnaires to determine how much ultra-processed foods they consumed.

Those who consumed the most ultra-processed foods had a 28% faster rate of cognitive decline and a 25% faster rate of executive-function decline compared to those who ate less than 20%.

In addition to cognitive decline, ultra-processed foods can be linked to an increased risk in obesity, heart and circulation problems, diabetes, cancer and a shorter life span.

Examples of ultra-processed foods include frozen pizza, hot dogs, sausages, sodas, cookies, cakes, candy, doughnuts,

 and ice cream. Getty Images

One way to prevent ultra-processed foods from impairing your cognitive health is by cooking and preparing the food from scratch, according to Suemoto.

“People need to know they should cook more and prepare their own food from scratch. I know we say we don’t have time, but it really doesn’t take that much time,” she said. 

“And it’s worth it, because you’re going to protect your heart and guard your brain from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. That’s the take-home message: Stop buying things that are super processed.” 

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US Life Expectancy Lowest of High Income Countries and Expected to Lag Behind Further

Study says children born in the USA in 2030 will die 

4-4.5 years sooner than Canadians

© Brendan McDermid / Reuters

Lack of access to universal health coverage, high rates of obesity, and homicide, all contribute to lagging life expectancies for American men and women. The US is predicted to fall farther behind other countries in the next 20 years, researchers say.

While the overall study found life expectancy is likely to rise in all 35 industrialized countries with at least 65 percent for women and 85 percent for men, the size of the increase varies.

Led by Imperial College London, the study was conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization and published in medical journal The Lancet on Tuesday.

The United States is likely to see only small improvements: Rising 2.1 years (from 81.2 in 2010 to 83.3 in 2030) for women and 3.0 years (76.5 to 79.5) for men. US life expectancy is already lower than most other high-income nations and by 2030 is predicted to lag behind countries such as Croatia and Mexico.

“The USA has the highest child and maternal mortality, homicide rate, and body-mass index of any high-income country, and was the first of high-income countries to experience a halt or possibly reversal of increase in height in adulthood, which is associated with higher longevity,” the study’s authors wrote.

Life expectancies of both men and women in the US will rise in 2030 to almost exactly equal to 

Canada's life expectancies in 2010. Canada's life expectancies will increase by about 4.5 years by then.

Among their findings: Life expectancy for Korean women born in 2030 in South Korea will expect to have life expectancy of 90.8 years, French women 88.6 years, and Japanese women 88.4 years. South Korean men will have a higher life expectancy of 84.1 years, Australian men 84.0 years, and Swiss men 84.0 years.

“Many people used to believe that 90 years is the upper limit for life expectancy, but this research suggests we will break the 90-year barrier,”said lead author Majid Ezzati, a professor in the School of Public Health at Imperial College in a statement. “I don’t believe we’re anywhere near the upper limit of life expectancy – if there even is one.”

Life expectancy is calculated by assessing the age at which people die across the whole population. A country with high childhood mortality rates will lower national life expectancy.

The team used 21 models based on weather forecasting techniques to analyze long-term patters of mortality and longevity in 35 industrialized countries, and combined the results depending on how well the models performed.

Ranking the countries by predicted rises in life expectancy from 2010-20130 for women and men places the US in the bottom four in each case, along with Japan, Bulgaria and Macedonia.

In countries where life expectancy is likely to increase the most, the increases are considerably higher. A baby girl born in 2030 can expect to live 6.6 years longer in South Korea, 4.7 years longer in Slovenia, and 4.4. years longer in Portugal than a baby girl born in 2010. For baby boys, the highest predicted increases in life expectancy are 7.5 years in Hungry, 7.0 years in South Korea and 6.4 years in Slovenia.

The study’s authors held that the high rates of increase in South Korea could be a result of rising economic status, which has improved children’s nutrition, lowered blood pressure, decreased levels of smoking, and increased access to healthcare and medical technology. In the US, the authors found that large socioeconomic inequalities and the lack of universal health care contributed to declines in the US.

War on Fat: Chile Bans McDonald's 'Happy Meals' and Kinder Eggs

Is there any chance this attitude could catch-on in North America?

Are there snowballs in Hell?

Chile is the most obese nation in South America, with nearly 10 percent of children under 5 overweight. | Photo: Reuters

“The 'meal' as it is today is not 'happy,' from the point of view of critical nutritionists,” said Chile's Health Ministry.

Chile's government is banning the famous Kinder Surprise Egg and the McDonald's Happy Meal, among other food products, as part of an effort to combat obesity, it was announced Wednesday.

The move is meant to set an example for the world, said Senator Guido Girardi, a medical doctor who introduced the authorizing legislation in Congress in order to launch “a crusade against deceiving propaganda mainly directed toward children.”

Kinder Surprise Eggs and Happy Meals have a “commercial hook” for kids and contain “high levels of salt, sugar and saturated fat,” Tito Pozarro of the Chilean Health Ministry told ADN radio.

“The 'meal' as it is today is not 'happy,' from the point of view of critical nutritionists,” he added. "If McDonald’s wishes to promote a healthier product, then it could be allowed to do so."

President Michelle Bachelet, a pediatrician herself, has vowed to tackle the issue of obesity in Chile. The country ranks first in South America in terms of obesity, according to a 2015 report by the World Health Organization, with over 32 percent of women and 23 percent of men affected.

In terms of childhood obesity, Chile has the second worst record in the region, with almost 10 percent of children under 5 considered overweight, according to a government estimate, and 30 percent of children under 7, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.

Obesity is a condition where a person has accumulated so much body fat that it might have a negative effect on their health. If a person's bodyweight is at least 20% higher than it should be, he or she is considered obese.