Brazilian researchers who followed 10,000 people for ten years found that those who got a quarter of their calories from processed foods – including soft drinks and nuggets – had 28 percent greater cognitive decline than those who got less. They urged people to cook more for themselves and to eat more regularly unprocessed foods such as grains, vegetables and fish. About 58 percent of the average American diet is processed food, while in Canada it’s as high as 48 percent, studies show. The high sugar, salt and fat content of processed foods was behind faster cognitive decline because it caused inflammation, experts said. They added that this was a clear sign that people should cook for themselves more often at home. Brazilian scientists said the food could be harmful because it contains a lot of sugar, salt and fat – which increases inflammation
What should I eat to avoid getting Alzheimer’s?
Numerous studies indicate that what people eat can affect their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The National Institute on Aging says that certain diets — such as those high in processed foods — can increase a person’s risk of developing the disease. But others could actually have a protective effect. In particular, the researchers point to the Mediterranean diet – high in fruit, vegetables and fish and low in red meat and eggs – as a key way to reduce risk. The NIH says that so far there is no confirmed evidence that eating more than one particular food can help protect someone from Alzheimer’s disease. However, a number of studies have investigated certain foods – including blueberries, strawberries and leafy greens – as possibly offering protection against the disease. These foods were chosen for their anti-inflammatory properties, which are believed to help reduce the risk of dangerous protein build-up. Recent publications have included one that suggested eating a daily serving of spinach or kale reduced the risk of Alzheimer’s. While a second found that people who ate fish regularly also had higher cognitive function later in life than those who didn’t. Source: National Institutes on Aging In the study – presented today at the 2022 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in San Diego, California – scientists followed 10,000 people from 2008 to 2019. They were evenly split by gender, aged 51 years on average, and lived in six Brazilian cities. Each consumed about 785 calories from processed foods per day on average, or 27 percent of their diet. Three-quarters got more than 20 percent of their calories from processed foods, with some getting up to three-quarters of them that way. Processed foods were defined as “industrial formulations” of food substances (oils, fats, sugars, starches, and proteins) that contain little or no whole food and typically include flavorings, emulsifiers, and other cosmetic additives. This includes French fries, hamburgers, ice creams, candies, soft drinks among others. Each participant completed a questionnaire at the beginning and end of the study about their dietary intake. They also completed tests of delayed word recall, word recognition and verbal fluency to measure changes in their cognitive ability. The results showed that those who ate the most processed foods – more than a quarter of their daily calories – had a 28% faster rate of cognitive decline than those who ate the least. They also had a 25 percent faster rate of decline in executive function—the area of the brain involved in decision-making and information processing. It also revealed that those who ate the most highly processed foods were more likely to be young, female, white, had a higher level of education and had never smoked. Dr Natalia Goncalves, a pathologist at the University of Sao Paulo who led the study, told DailyMail.com that processed foods likely accelerated cognitive decline because they were full of sugar, fat and salt. He said this could cause “inflammatory processes” or damage to the brain – which can increase the speed of decline. Dr. Rudy Tanzi, a neurologist at Harvard Medical School who was not involved in the research, said processed foods are likely to pose a risk because they are “usually very high in sugar, salt and fat.” “All of these promote systemic inflammation,” he told CNN, “perhaps the most significant threat to healthy aging in the body and brain.” Men should consume 2,500 calories a day on average, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while women should eat 2,000. For a quarter of the diet to come from processed foods, that would be up to 500 calories a day. That’s the equivalent of a hamburger and fries (about 700 calories) or two four-pound sausages (about 800 calories), says the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dr. Claudia Suemoto, a geriatrics expert who also participated in the research, said the diet in Brazil was not very different from that in Western countries. He added: “People need to know that they need to cook more and prepare their food from scratch. I know we say we don’t have time, but it really doesn’t take that much time. “And it’s worth it because you’ll protect your heart and you’ll protect your brain from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. That’s the message: Stop buying things that are over-processed.”
