Eating 5 Ounces of This Food May Affect Your Attention, Finds New Study
Even after accounting for overall diet quality, researchers found this link in middle-aged adults.
Ultra-processed foods are associated with increased risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and high LDL cholesterol, which are major contributors to dementia risk that collectively account for approximately 12% of all dementia cases globally.
This study, conducted among 2,192 participants in Australia, analyzed diet questionnaires and assessed cognitive function via a computerized test and health-scoring system.
The researchers found an association between a higher intake of ultra-processed food and poorer attention scores.
Given that a 10% increase in ultra-processed food intake corresponds to approximately 150 g/day (equivalent to a standard packet of potato chips)—or 5.3 ounces—the results indicate that even small daily increases in this type of eating may have measurable cognitive consequences with an impact on dementia risk.
Interestingly, they observed no link between ultra-processed foods and memory potential.
The authors suggest that dialing back on ultra-processed foods, such as dairy-based desserts and drinks, soft drinks, and packaged salty snacks, may help maximize attention capacity.
The Mediterranean diet and foods that benefit the gut are also recommended for a healthy brain.
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