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(CNN) --
If ultra-processed foods make up more than 20% of your daily caloric intake, you could be on your way to cognitive decline, a new study reveals.
We all know that eating ultra-processed foods that make our lives easier, like packaged soups and sauces, frozen pizza, and ready meals, is not good for our health.
Neither is devouring all the craving foods we love so much: hot dogs, sausages, hamburgers, French fries, sodas, cookies, cakes, candy, donuts, and ice cream, to name a few.
Studies have found that they can increase our risk of obesity, heart and circulatory problems, diabetes, and cancer.
They can even shorten our life.
Now, a new study has revealed that eating more ultra-processed foods may contribute to general cognitive decline, including areas of the brain involved in executive functioning, that is, the ability to process information and make decisions.
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In fact, men and women who ate the most ultra-processed foods had a 28% faster rate of global cognitive decline and a 25% faster rate of decline in executive function compared to those who ate the least. amount of excessively processed foods, according to the study.
"Although the results need to be studied and replicated further, they are very compelling and underscore the critical role of proper nutrition in preserving and promoting brain health and reducing the risk of brain disease as we age," said Rudy Tanzi, professor neurology at Harvard Medical School and director of the genetics and aging research unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston who was not involved in the study.
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Tanzi, who has written about ultra-processed foods in her book "The Healing Self: A Revolutionary New Plan to Supercharge Your Immunity and Stay Well for Life," said the key problem with ultra-processed foods is that "they tend to be high in sugar, salt and fat, which promote systemic inflammation, perhaps the greatest threat to healthy aging of the body and brain.
"Meanwhile, because they're convenient as fast food, they also replace eating high-fiber plant-based foods that are important for maintaining the health and balance of the trillions of bacteria in your gut microbiome," he added, "which is particularly important for brain health and reducing the risk of age-related brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.
not many calories
The study, presented Monday at the 2022 Alzheimer's Association International Conference in San Diego, followed more than 10,000 Brazilians for 10 years.
Just over half of the study participants were female, white, or college educated, while the median age was 51.
Cognitive tests, including immediate and delayed word recall, word recognition and verbal fluency, were performed at the beginning and end of the study, and participants were asked about their diet.
"In Brazil, ultra-processed foods represent between 25% and 30% of total calorie intake. We have McDonald's, Burger King and we eat a lot of chocolate and white bread. It's not very different, unfortunately, from many other Western countries" said co-author Dr. Claudia Suemoto, an adjunct professor in the division of geriatrics at the University of São Paulo School of Medicine.
"58% of the calories consumed by US citizens, 56.8% of the calories consumed by the British and 48% of the calories consumed by Canadians come from ultra-processed foods," Suemoto said.
Ultra-processed foods are defined as "industrial formulations of food substances (oils, fats, sugars, starches, and protein isolates) that contain little or no whole foods and often include flavorings, colors, emulsifiers, and other cosmetic additives," according to the study. .
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"People who ate more than 20% of daily calories from processed foods had a 28% faster decline in global cognition and a 25% faster decline in executive functioning compared to people who ate less than 20% "said study co-author Natalia Gonçalves, a researcher at the department of pathology at the University of São Paulo School of Medicine.
For a person who eats 2,000 calories a day, 20% would be equivalent to 400 or more calories;
For comparison, a small order of fries and a regular McDonald's cheeseburger contains a total of 530 calories.
Study participants who ate more ultra-processed foods were "more likely to be younger, female, white, with higher education and income, and were more likely to have never smoked, and less likely to be current alcohol users." , according to the study.
"People need to know to 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," Suemoto said.
"And it's worth it because you're going to protect your heart and protect your brain from dementia or Alzheimer's," he added.
"That's the take-home message: stop buying ultra-processed stuff."
processed foods
