Ultra-Processed Foods May Harm the Brain via Increased Belly Fat
Researchers don’t yet know exactly how eating more of these foods might lead to changes in the brain, but belly fat may be part of the explanation, says de Souza.
Visceral fat causes inflammation, and diets higher in ultra-processed foods may contribute to more of it. Chronic conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes can also affect blood vessels throughout the body, including the brain, he says.
“The brain depends on a healthy network of blood vessels, so factors that adversely affect vascular health may also influence brain health over time,” says de Souza.
But body fat doesn’t appear to explain everything. The link between ultra-processed foods and brain damage held up even after the researchers accounted for body fat, which suggests that something about the foods themselves may play a role.
Brain Changes May Also Come From Impaired Metabolic Health
“Ultra-processed foods tend to be higher in salt, refined sugars, saturated fats, and other food additives, like preservatives and thickeners. These may lead to worse metabolic health, which in turn causes inflammation, impaired circulation, and acceleration of brain aging,” says Laurel Cherian, MD, an associate professor and the division chief of stroke and cerebrovascular disease at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, who wasn’t involved in the study.
“Ultra-processed foods are often easy to digest, which raises their glycemic index, spiking blood sugar and then crashing it. This fluctuation in blood sugar will trigger hunger, even when sufficient calories have already been consumed, and lead to weight gain and other metabolic issues,” says Dr. Cherian.
The effects may also depend on the food, because processing can look very different from one product to the next. Deli meats might have a lot of added salt, for instance, while soda might have a lot of added sugar, says Benjamin Katz, PhD, an associate professor of human development and family science at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, who wasn’t involved in the study.
“For those categories, we know that high consumption of added sugar and salt can negatively impact cardio-metabolic health, and heart health is very closely linked to brain health, since your brain requires blood for basic metabolism. It is also possible that some additives impact inflammatory load, although these links may be less well-established relative to effects on heart health,” says Dr. Katz.
Brain Changes May Begin Long Before Stroke or Dementia
“What is interesting about this study is that there was evidence of MRI markers of brain injury in relatively young and healthy adults who ate large quantities of ultra-processed foods, suggesting that the toll of these dietary choices may begin long before clinical problems like stroke or dementia occur,” says Cherian.
Some ultra-processed foods may be riskier than others, though. Items like sliced bread, packaged snacks, and dairy products may have different or less-problematic additives than other ultra-processed foods, says Katz.
Strengths and Limitations of the Study
The study was large and used standardized MRI scans, but because all the measurements were taken at a single visit, the results can’t show that ultra-processed foods caused the brain changes — only that the two phenomena coincided.
“And because researchers didn’t see impacts on cognition, it raises questions about how much these effects might actually matter in our day-to-day life, at least when we are middle-aged,” says Katz.
Simple Ways to Eat Fewer Ultra-Processed Foods
Ultra-processed foods are affordable, convenient, and shelf-stable, and many are marketed as health foods, says Cherian.
“As such, it may not be realistic to completely eliminate ultra-processed foods, but the goal should be a diet focused on whole foods that are prepared fresh, emphasizing foods that are used in the Mediterranean or MIND diets,” she says.
Instead of focusing on single nutrients, think about your overall eating pattern, says de Souza. “A helpful question is: ‘Am I choosing foods that look more like what comes from nature, or foods that have been heavily manufactured and reformulated?’” he says.
Whether a food is ultra-processed isn’t a guarantee that it’s healthy or unhealthy, so look at the label for added sugar, sodium, and saturated fat, too, says Katz.
These steps can help you cut back.
- Start with small swaps, and try replacing ultra-processed foods with beans, lentils, fruits, vegetables, nuts, oats, or plain yogurt.
- Replace sugary beverages with water.
- Prepare meals at home in advance with fewer processed ingredients.
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