Ultra-Processed Food Intake May Increase Dementia Risk

• Ultra-processed foods are high in added sugar, fat and salt, and low in protein and fiber.
• They include soft drinks, salty and sugary snacks, ice cream, sausage and deep-fried chicken.
• Replacing them with unprocessed or minimally processed foods was associated with a lower risk.

According to a new study, people who consume the most ultra-processed foods; such as soft drinks, chips, and cookies, may have a higher chance of acquiring dementia than those who consume the least of these foods.

According to the research, which was written up in the journal Neurology, there is a decreased risk when eating more unprocessed or minimally processed foods instead of highly processed ones. The study simply demonstrates a correlation and does not establish; that highly processed foods cause dementia, it was noted.

According to researcher Huiping Li of Tianjin Medical University in China; “Our research not only demonstrated that ultra-processed foods are linked to an elevated risk of dementia; but it also found replacing them with healthier options may lessen dementia risk.”

Ultra-processed foods are heavy in added sugar, fat and salt, and poor in protein and fibre. Soft drinks, salty and sweet snacks, ice cream, yoghurt, canned baked beans, tomatoes; sausage, and deep-fried chicken are a few examples.

From a sizable database including the health data of half a million UK residents; the team chose 72,083 individuals for the study. At the outset of the trial, participants were 55 or older and free of dementia. They had an average of 10 years of follow-up.

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The study’s conclusion revealed that 518 participants had dementia. Participants in the study completed at least two questionnaires about their eating and drinking habits; the day before.

By measuring the grammes per day and comparing them to the grammes 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.

They then separated participants into four equal groups from the lowest percentage consumption; of ultra-processed foods to the greatest.

In the lowest category, ultra-processed foods made up 9% of daily diets, or 225 grammes on average; while they made up 28% of diets, or 814 grammes on average, for those in the highest group.

150 grammes constituted one serving of foods like pizza or fish sticks. Drinks were the leading food category; that contributed to a high intake 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 intake of ultra-processed foods; people had a 25% higher risk of dementia after controlling for age, gender, family history; of dementia and heart disease as well as other factors that could affect dementia risk.

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